BAU: A local man hoping to own a used Toyota Hilux at a bargain price ended up losing RM12,380 after falling victim to an online vehicle scam last week.
On Jun 18, the 36-year-old had come across an advertisement on Facebook, written in Chinese, offering a Toyota Hilux Single Cab for RM25,620.
Tempted by the attractive price, the victim contacted the seller using the phone number provided in the advertisement and expressed interest in purchasing the vehicle.
Bau police chief Supt Mohd Haide A. Rahman said he was then instructed to make several payments to secure the deal.
“The next day (Jun 19), the victim transferred RM5,580 via two transactions into a BSN account, purportedly for the vehicle booking and insurance.
“Believing the transaction was progressing, the victim made another transfer of RM6,800 into an Affin Bank account on June 22.
“He was told the payment was necessary to facilitate the refund of his booking deposit.
“After making the payments, the man never received the vehicle he had purchased,” he said.
The suspect later demanded a further RM8,220, claiming it was needed to activate an account before the victim’s deposit could be refunded.
Realising he had been duped, the victim refused to make any further payments and lodged a police report after suffering losses amounting to RM12,380.
Mohd Haide said the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
Further checks found that one of the bank accounts used in the scam had previously been linked to a commercial crime report, while the suspect’s phone number had been associated with two prior scam cases.
