BATU PAHAT: A 44-year-old lecturer from a local public university has suffered losses amounting to RM115,600 after falling victim to a part-time job scam promising lucrative returns.
Batu Pahat OCPD Asst Comm Shahrulanuar Mushaddat Abdullah Sani said the victim was lured into the scheme in May this year.
“The offer, advertised online, required the victim to purchase items from a designated website with the assurance of receiving a 15% profit on the purchases.
“Between May 7 and Sept 30, the victim made multiple transfers totalling RM115,600 to six different bank accounts,” he said in a statement here on Saturday (Dec 14).
ACP Shahrulanuar added that the website became inaccessible soon after, and the promised profits were never delivered.
Realising the deception, the lecturer lodged a police report at the Sri Gading Police Station on Dec 12.
ACP Shahrulanuar urged the public to exercise caution when encountering job offers on social media, especially those promising unusually high returns.
“Such schemes are often traps designed to exploit unsuspecting individuals,” he said.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated case, a 47-year-old housewife has fallen victim to a bitcoin investment scam, losing a staggering RM896,813 in the process.
Seri Alam acting OCPD Deputy Supt Dr Mohd Roslan Mohd Tahir said the victim encountered the scam in late August after seeing a bitcoin investment advertisement on Facebook.
“Intrigued by the offer, she clicked on the advertisement and was subsequently added to a group named VIP Investment Group (Malaysia), where she was introduced to the scheme by several individuals. The victim was assured of lucrative returns within a month.
“To monitor her investments, she downloaded an application called UVKXE, which displayed her earnings.
“Convinced by the apparent profits, the victim made 12 transactions to seven different bank accounts between Oct 29 and Nov 18, amounting to RM896,813,” he said.
The UVKXE app showed her a profit of USD185,838 (RM827,143), and she successfully withdrew RM144,415, he added.
“However, when she attempted further withdrawals, she was asked to pay an additional 1% of her profits. Realising the scam, she reported the matter to the Seri Alam police on Dec 13,” he said.
DSP Mohd Roslan urged the public to exercise caution and avoid investment schemes that seem too good to be true.
"Fraudsters often use social media to lure victims into such schemes. Always verify the authenticity of any investment offer before proceeding," he said.
Both cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
Investigations are also looking into the role of "money mules" under Section 424 of the Penal Code.
