MIRI: Trust built through late-night chats and online promises ended in financial ruin for a local woman, who lost RM270,800 after being lured into an elaborate love scam syndicate operating through social media.
The scam unfolded around October last year when the victim, in her early 40s, befriended a man on Facebook who claimed to be a United Kingdom national and introduced himself as Kenneth Liu Zhang.
The relationship later moved to WhatsApp and grew increasingly close, with the suspect informing the victim that he would be travelling to Malaysia to meet her in December.
However, the story took a sharp turn on Dec 22 when the victim received a phone call from a woman posing as a customs officer, who claimed Kenneth had been detained at KLIA Customs Office for allegedly carrying cash exceeding the permitted limit.
Miri police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the woman was told she needed to make a compound payment to secure his release.
“Trusting the information given, the victim transferred RM270,800 via 37 transactions in stages into several bank accounts as instructed by the suspect.
“Having said that, the woman only realised she had been cheated when the suspect continued to pressure her for additional payments, citing various unreasonable excuses,” he said.
Investigating officer Insp Sisim Abd Samad said the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
In light of this, the public is urged to remain cautious when forming relationships online and to never disclose personal or financial information to individuals they do not know.
“Members of the public should also be wary of calls from unknown parties and verify any claims with relevant agencies before taking any action,” he said.
