Senior citizen loses RM52,300 in 'love scam'

KUANTAN: A 74-year-old woman was conned of RM52,300 in a love scam after befriending a man on Facebook last December.

Pahang Commercial Criminal Investigation Department head Supt Mohd Wazir Mohd Yusof said the woman claimed the man, who claimed to be Nelson Michael Jr, from the United States, and working in Miri, Sarawak, contacted her through Facebook.

He said throughout the friendship, the woman claimed to had not met the suspect, but only communicated with him through phone calls and WhatsApp.

"The suspect was said to have borrowed money from her seven times, totalling RM52,300, giving various reasons and also promised to marry her," he said in a statement on Friday (Feb 4).

He said the woman became suspicious and suspected she had been cheated after she failed to contact the man again after making the last money transaction on Dec 31, 2021.

According to the woman, the suspect had also blocked her telephone number, he said, adding that the woman lodged a police report at the Kuantan district police station here on Thursday (Feb 3). - Bernama