JOHOR BARU: A 44-year-old local technician suffered losses amounting to RM172,000 after falling for an online investment scam here.
Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat said the victim received a WhatsApp message from a woman claiming to be an investment consultant on Nov 2.
“The suspect invited the victim to participate in a ‘high-return’ investment scheme, promising 400% profits within two months.
“The victim was added to a WhatsApp group named ‘Malaysia Saham VIP’ and directed to download an app called ‘Capmax’.
“Enticed by the promises, the victim provided personal and banking information,” he said in a statement here on Tuesday (Dec 24).
ACP Raub added that between Nov 5 and Dec 13, the victim made 13 transactions totalling RM172,000 to seven different bank accounts.
“When the victim attempted to withdraw the supposed profits, the suspect demanded an additional RM620,000.
“Realising it was a scam, the victim reported the matter on Monday (Dec 23) after being unable to recover his money,” he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 424B of the Penal Code for allowing someone else access to a financial institution account or payment instrument without a legitimate purpose or lawful authority.
In an unrelated case, Tangkak OCPD Supt Roslan Mohd Talib said that a 55-year-old woman lost RM70,000 after falling for a phone scam.
“On Nov 22, the victim received a call claiming to be from a police station in Ampang.
“The caller accused her of involvement in money laundering and instructed her to register a phone number linked to her bank account for ‘investigation purposes’.
“Subsequently, the victim discovered funds missing from her account and realised she had been scammed,” he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
The Johor police urge the public to remain cautious and not easily trust unsolicited calls or online schemes.
The public is also advised to verify suspicious claims before acting and stay informed about scams through the social media platforms of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID).
Victims of scams are encouraged to contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) via 997 immediately to block further unauthorised transfers from their accounts.
