Kuantan woman duped of over RM260,000 in love scam

KUANTAN: A woman here claims she lost over RM260,000 to a love scam syndicate after becoming acquainted with a foreign man through social media.

Pahang police chief Comm Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the 32-year-old victim said the man, claiming to be a businessman, asked her for capital purportedly to support his struggling business.

"The victim made 14 transactions to four different accounts from Oct 14 to last Sunday (Oct 27) before the suspect went incommunicado, leading the woman to realise she had been scammed,” he said in a statement on Thursday (Oct 31).

The woman eventually filed a police report on Wednesday (Oct 30), and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.

In a separate case, Comm Yahaya said three police reports were received about nonexistent tender offers by telephone, involving losses of more than RM300,000.

He said two tyre shop dealers, both 29, were offered tenders to supply tyres, spare parts and vehicle accessories after receiving a phone call from an individual claiming to be an employee of the Fire and Rescue Department.

"Another victim, a 55-year-old building contractor, received a tender offer to supply portable power stations from an individual posing as an official from the Bentong Municipal Council,” he said. – Bernama