Man duped of RM400,000 in savings to acquaintance

JOHOR BARU: A 45-year-old man here ended up losing over RM400,000 in savings after helping an acquaintance pay ‘government tax’ to withdraw the RM25mil he claimed to have in his bank account.

The man, said Seri Alam OCPD Supt Mohd Sohaimi Ishak, was introduced to the 30-year-old acquaintance by a mutual friend back in November 2021.

“The acquaintance claimed to have RM25mil in his bank account that was transferred from outside the country.

“He asked the victim to help him pay a tax in order to withdraw the money and promised that he would repay the money plus RM6mil in commission.

“The acquaintance also showed the victim a few documents to persuade him that the RM25mil did exist.

“The victim fell for the ruse and made a total of 98 transactions to four different bank accounts amounting to RM427,940 between December 2021 and June 2023,” Supt Sohaimi said in a statement yesterday.

The acquaintance, he said, continued to request the victim for payment until July last year.

“The victim then became suspicious and asked for his money back, after which the acquaintance suddenly disappeared and was no longer reachable,” he said, adding that a police report was lodged on March 2.

The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.