JOHOR BARU: A 44-year-old technician here has lost RM172,000 of his hard-earned money after he was enticed by an online scam that promised returns of 400% for his investments.
Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat said that on Nov 2, the victim received a WhatsApp message from a woman claiming to be an investment consultant.
“The suspect invited the victim to participate in a ‘high-returns’ investment scheme, promising a 400% profit within two months.
“The victim was added to a WhatsApp group named ‘Malaysia Saham VIP’ and directed to download an app called ‘Capmax’.
“Convinced by the promise, the victim also provided his personal and banking information,” he said in a statement yesterday.
ACP Raub said between Nov 5 and Dec 13, the victim made 13 transactions totalling RM172,000 to seven bank accounts.
“When the victim attempted to withdraw the supposed profits, the suspect demanded an extra RM620,000.
“Only when he couldn’t recover his money did the victim realise it was a scam and reported the matter to the police on Monday,” he added.
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.
Separately, Tangkak OCPD Supt Roslan Mohd Talib said a 55-year-old woman was cheated of RM70,000 after falling for a scam.
On Nov 22, the victim received a call from someone 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, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
The Johor police are urging the public to remain cautious and not easily trust unsolicited calls or online schemes.
The public are also advised to verify suspicious claims before acting and stay informed about scams through the social media platforms of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department.
Victims of scams are encouraged to contact the National Scam Response Centre via 997 immediately to block further unauthorised transfers from their accounts.
