Clerk loses almost RM140,000 in online job scam

IPOH: A 26-year-old clerk in Langkap, Teluk Intan, has been cheated of about RM139,616 after she was taken in by a job scam.

Hilir Perak OCPD Asst Comm Ahmad Adnan Basri said the victim was offered a part-time job via WhatsApp on April 26 to earn commission by performing several tasks.

ACP Ahmad Adnan said the victim took up the offer and was then added to a Telegram chat group to be assigned the tasks.

"The first task required the victim to boost the popularity of a company's website by sharing it on Facebook," he said in a statement on Friday (May 12), adding that she earned a 10% commission from it.

"For her second task, she was told to use an online shopping mobile app and select some items at certain prices.

"However, the victim was required to deposit a sum of money to get a 20% commission," he said.

ACP Ahmad Adnan said the victim then made 13 online money transfers to four financial institutions totalling RM139,616.50 between April 26 and May 5.

"The victim was asked to deposit more money to get her money back.

"Feeling something amiss, she did not do so and realised that she had been scammed," he said, adding that a report was lodged on Thursday (May 11) at about 12.25am.

ACP Ahmad Adnan said eight investigation papers have been opened between January and May this year, involving losses of about RM267,729.

"In 2022, we recorded eight cases with total losses of about RM133,207.

"The victims mostly consist of those aged between 20 and 40, most seeking to earn 'easy money' on the side," he said.

"The police would like to advise the people not to be influenced easily by certain advertisements offering part-time jobs and earning commission from middlemen in ecommerce or online trade," he said.