SIBU: A jobless man lost RM43,351 of his savings after falling victim to an online job scam promising lucrative commissions.
The incident occurred on Nov 27 when the man, in his 30s, connected with a woman named ‘Lau Sze Ya’ on Facebook Messenger while inquiring about purchasing goods.
‘Lau Sze Ya’ later offered the man a job involving simple tasks with high commissions and asked him to contact her via WhatsApp for details.
Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili said the victim, who was interested with the offer, only needed to complete a task involving “like and share” actions, for which he received an initial commission of RM190.
For the second task, however, the man was informed he had made an error and was required to transfer payments.
“Between Dec 1 and 2, the victim transferred a total of RM43,351 via seven transactions into two bank accounts provided by the suspect.
“Shortly after, the suspect requested an additional payment of RM20,894, but the victim was unable to comply due to insufficient funds,” ACP Zulkipli said.
Feeling suspicious, the victim realised he had been scammed and reported the incident to the police.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
ACP Zulkipli urged the public to be cautious of job offers promising large returns or commissions through social media platforms.
“Always verify such offers by conducting thorough checks with the relevant companies or agencies before proceeding.”
For further assistance or information, the public can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997, or follow the Facebook pages of @cybercrimealertrmp and @jsjkpdrm.
Suspicious bank accounts or phone numbers can also be verified via http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/.
