Compiled by FATIMAH ZAINAL, TAN SIN CHOW and R. ARAVINTHAN
LOVE scam syndicates are using profile pictures of beautiful girls and sweet talk on mobile apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook Messenger to con men out of their money, reported Harian Metro.
Commercial Crimes Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf told the daily that love scams ensnare victims by playing on their emotions and feelings.
“The ‘beautiful girl’ tactic is a new ploy used by syndicates to lure victims,” he said, adding that they would use the photos to get a man’s attention.
The victim would then be offered gifts, jobs or invited to meet up, and so on.
“But then the scammer will say there are problems that require the victim to transfer money.
“Victims will only realise they have been cheated when they are continuously asked to transfer money to an account given by the syndicate,” he said.
“A total of 793 cases were recorded last year involving losses of RM56mil, while from January to May this year, 392 cases were recorded with a loss value of RM18mil,” he said.
> Actress and singer Janna Nick was moved to tears when her mother and father, who have been separated for a long time, came together at her wedding, Kosmo! reported.
Janna said their presence at her wedding at a resort in Langkawi, Kedah was very meaningful.
The Coffee Prince actress previously revealed that her parents divorced when she was nine years old and she chose to be under the care of her grandmother.
“I am able to see my mother and father in a ceremony. I can also see Tok Wan. This is something that means a lot to me,” she said.Janna and fellow actor Dini Schatzmann were wed on June 10.
> Despite facing adversities early in life after losing his father in a drowning tragedy 13 years ago, a former SMK Tunku Besar student managed to score straight As for his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exam.
Utusan Malaysia reported that Danish Haikal Mohd Norizal, 18, who got 8As, hopes to continue his studies and become an educator one day.
He also wishes to repay his mother, Sabariah Othman, 44, and his stepfather, Zulkifli Mohamed Aziz, 53, who worked hard to raise him with his two other siblings after their father, Mohd Norizal Mohd Joseph, died while fishing in 2010.
“For now, I work as a canteen worker at a school with a wage of RM50 a day. I’m saving this money to get a motorcycle licence and prepare for further education.
“I actually didn’t expect to get excellent results, I just focused on learning at school including extra classes given by teachers because I didn’t want to burden my family,” he told the daily.
Sabariah said she was very grateful for her son’s results.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
