JOHOR BARU: A 34-year-old housewife lost RM176,000 after being lured into a fake online investment scheme here.
Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat said the victim was enticed by an advertisement on Facebook on Nov 6, promising high returns through stock investments.
“She contacted a purported customer service officer via WhatsApp and was instructed to download an application.
“After entering her personal and banking details, the victim transferred RM176,000 through 11 transactions between Nov 6 and Dec 17 2024,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (Jan 1).
ACP Raub added that the victim was given assurances of daily returns of between 12% and 100%, depending on the amount of money invested.
“She, however, only realised that she had been scammed after failing to retrieve any profits,” he added.
Initial checks through the CCID Semak Mule platform revealed that the account used in the fraud had been reported in five other investment scam cases.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. Police also cautioned the public against lending or selling bank accounts to third parties, a violation punishable under Section 424B of the Penal Code.
In a separate development, ACP Raub said that Johor Baru South Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Division conducted “Ops Ambang Tahun Baru 2025” to combat illegal street racing and dangerous road activities.
The operation ran from 5pm on Dec 31 2024 to 5am on Jan 1 2025. It involved 12 traffic enforcement personnel who inspected 91 vehicles and 132 individuals.
The operation resulted in the seizure of 18 motorcycles under Section 64 of the Road Transport Act 1987 for further inspection and the issuance of 36 summonses for various offences, including driving without a license and unauthorised vehicle modifications.
“Eight men, aged between 18 and 20, were also arrested under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for performing dangerous stunts on the road,” he added.
ACP Raub emphasised that traffic enforcement efforts will continue to monitor identified hotspots for illegal racing. The public is encouraged to report such activities by contacting the Johor Baru South Police Hotline at 07-218 2222.
