Woman conned by online ‘boyfriends’

JOHOR BARU: A businesswoman who was two-timing her online boyfriend with another man she met on Facebook ended up being conned of RM800,000 within a month.

The single woman in her 50s had befriended the men separately via Facebook.

Sources said that within a month of getting to know them, the men began professing their love for her.

One guy promised her US$1mil (RM4mil).

The other “boyfriend” said he would be sending her gifts.

The businesswoman then started getting calls supposedly from courier companies and dispatch riders, requesting payment for licences, taxes and immigration clearance.

The woman, believed to be lonesome, transferred money to about 12 individual accounts throughout that month.

According to sources, she started banking in amounts ranging from RM3,000 to more than RM100,000 to these accounts, thinking that she could get hold of the gifts sent by her overseas lovers.

It is learnt that the woman only realised that she had been conned after requests came in for a bigger sum of money.

Sources said that she also started getting threats when she failed to deposit the money.

She related it to her family before lodging a police report.

In another love scam, a housewife who carried out an online affair was cheated of about RM40,000 by a “London boyfriend”.

She had befriended the man on social media.

They got along well and three months later in August, the man wanted to send her some gifts.

The woman, who is in her 30s, was contacted about a parcel being sent from overseas for her was awaiting collection.

However, she was told to pay about RM2,000 for clearance.

Soon after the first payment, the woman started getting subsequent calls for other payments to release the parcel.

Sources said that the woman started transferring the money via online banking to various accounts.

After banking about RM40,000, she realised that she had been duped.

And the promised gifts also never arrived.

The woman then lodged a police report.

A police official confirmed both cases and said investigations were under way under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.

Those with information about such cases are urged to contact the police hotline at 07-221 2999.