Accountant loses RM25k to person impersonating her friend

SIBU: A 50-year-old accountant lost RM25,000 after being cheated by a man who claimed to be a friend of hers named “Kevin”.

Sibu OCPD Asst Comm Stanley Jonathan Ringgit said the victim received a call on Wednesday (Jan 20) from a man who said he was her friend named “Kevin”, adding that he asked the victim for financial assistance claiming he had problems with his business.

“He also told her that his wallet and mobile phone were lost, ” said ACP Stanley on Friday (Jan 22).

Believing that the suspect was her friend, she made an online transaction of RM25,000 into three different accounts.

"However, she became suspicious when the suspect's phone was not reachable after she had transferred the money to him," ACP Stanley added.

The complainant finally realised that she had been cheated when her friend told her that he had never contacted her to ask for money.

In a separate case, a 28-year-old woman was duped of RM2,010 by a bogus car dealer.

ACP Stanely said the woman saw an advertisement on Facebook about a second-hand car for sale.

"She contacted the suspect and chose the car she was interested in buying. She was asked to send photocopies of her personal documents," he said.

Having done that, she was then told to pay RM2,010 as a processing fee, which she did from Jan 11 to 13 but the suspect was no longer contactable after getting the money.

"Both cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for fraud," Stanley added.