PETALING JAYA: A woman lost over RM2.5mil in a love scam last year after falling in love with a “foreign engineer”.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) received a report from the 46-year-old woman who works in the private sector, who claimed she met a Korean man named Jiwon through Facebook.
The man claimed to be working for an oil and gas company in Italy, and after a period of getting to know each other, the suspect asked the victim to lend him some money.
He told her that his company was having problems with its Internet banking and convinced her he would return the money after his projects were completed.
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Federal CCID director Comm Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said the victim had made 24 transactions to different bank accounts amounting to RM2.5mil.
“In the end, the suspect never returned the money as promised. Only then did she realise that she had been cheated,” he said.
Comm Ramli said among the challenges faced by his department in curbing such scams were victim stigma, technological leverage, anonymity and mule accounts.
“We believe victims out there feel ashamed or embarrassed to come forward which leads to under-reporting. This in turn makes it harder for us to gather data and pursue cases.
“These syndicates leverage on technology, such as social media and messaging apps, which makes it a challenge for us to monitor and intercept them without violating privacy rights.
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“The scammers often hide behind fake profiles and use anonymous communication channels,” he said, adding that their investigations also revealed that there were many Malaysians who have been cheated and ended up becoming bank account mules to these syndicates.
Comm Ramli urged the public to be wary of individuals who profess their love or affection too quickly, especially those found online.
“Identity verification is key. Use reverse image searches or video calls to confirm the identity of the person you are communicating with.
“Always protect personal information and avoid sharing sensitive information with someone you have just met online,” he said, adding that the public should be skeptical and conduct research on the individual.
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He said the public should trust their instincts.
“Do not hesitate to seek advice from friends and family members if you are unsure about someone you are communicating with.
“If you suspect you are being targeted by a love scam, report it immediately,” he said.
