Man duped of RM88,233 after joining WhatsApp investment group

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SIBU: A local man was left RM88,233 poorer after falling victim to an investment scheme that promised lucrative returns.

The victim, who is in his 50s, had been added to a WhatsApp group called ‘Group VIP’ on Apr 11, and was later contacted by a woman identifying herself as Ruth Khoo.

She introduced what appeared to be a lucrative stock investment scheme and invited him to join.

At first, the victim merely observed the conversations in the group, which were filled with testimonials from others claiming to receive high returns.

Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili said the man eventually agreed to invest after he was convinced by the supposed success stories.

He was then instructed to contact another number, purportedly the scheme’s ‘customer service’, for further steps.

“The victim transferred a sum of RM88,233 via six transactions into three local bank accounts.

“After his initial transfer of RM1,000, the victim was told he had earned a profit. However, he was asked to make additional payments, allegedly for taxes to Bank Negara Malaysia and other government agencies, in order to withdraw the supposed returns.

“No profits were received to date, prompting the victim to suspect he had been scammed,” he said.

The victim lodged a police report yesterday (Jul 16) and police have since opened an investigation paper under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.

Zulkipli urged the public to be cautious of high-return investment offers and to verify the legitimacy of companies or platforms via Bank Negara Malaysia’s official website at https://www.bnm.gov.my or Securities Commission Malaysia at https://www.sc.com.my.

“Checks can also be done via the Investment Checker tool at https://www.sc.com.my/investment-checker.

“For scam-related advice or to report suspicious activity, contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 or visit http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/ to verify suspicious phone numbers and bank accounts,” he said.

Updates can also be found at @CyberCrimeAlertRMP and @JSJKPDRM on Facebook.

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