Chinese national loses RM23,000 to fake used car seller

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong (right) and Chinese national Liu Gui Jun (left) during the press conference on the scam at Wisma MCA.

KUALA LUMPUR: A businessman thought he struck a bargain when he saw an advertisement for a used car that was half the price of other offers.

But it turned out to be a nightmare for the Chinese national, who is now RM23,000 poorer and with no car in sight.

Liu Gui Jun, 41, spotted the sale of a second-hand Toyota car for RM42,700 on WeChat.

“It was cheaper than usual. Usually, the second-hand price for the same model is around RM70,000, ” said Liu, who was looking for a car to be used by his uncle who needed it for his hospital visits.

“So I contacted the seller on a number posted on WeChat. The seller asked me to bank in RM3,000 as a deposit.”

He made a transaction on Nov 26 to a bank account registered with a Malaysian bank as instructed by the seller.

A few days later, he was told to bank in an additional RM20,000 to the same bank account.

He was told that this was to facilitate the process of transferring ownership of the car.

“I asked to meet up with the seller but he only sent a video of the car being inspected at the Road Transport Department, ” he said.

Liu, who thought he could trust the seller, banked in RM20,000 as requested.

Once the money went through, the seller blocked Liu’s number and had been unreachable since then.

Liu shared his predicament at a press conference yesterday organised by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong.

Chong said this was one of the most common online scams in the country.

“This particular conman has been using this modus operandi many times, ” he said.

He advised those who wanted to buy used cars to meet the seller personally before making any payment.