SEREMBAN: Greed gets you nowhere, as seen in the case of a woman who lost at least RM250,000 to scammers.
The 39-year-old self-employed woman spotted an advertisement on social media last October which promised high returns for an online investment scheme, said Jempol OCPD Supt Hoo Chang Hook.
“She was told that she would get a profit of RM1.44mil within two months if she invested RM150,000.
“The woman believed what she was told about the unusually high returns. She started transferring money into six different bank accounts in stages,” he said in a statement.
The victim began with an investment of RM250. Between Nov 12 and 24 of last year, she transferred RM252,004 into the accounts via 15 transactions, he said.
Supt Hoo said the woman even borrowed money from her friends to invest in the scheme, which was later found to be non-existent.
The victim, he said, became suspicious when she was not able to withdraw her so-called profits.
“And yet, the scammers kept asking her to increase her investments for even higher returns,” he said.
Supt Hoo said the woman, who is from Bahau near here, eventually realised that she had been scammed and lodged a report.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which provides for a jail term of between one and 10 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
Supt Hoo advised the public to always check with official sources such as Bank Negara Malaysia before investing in any scheme, especially those that promise unusually high returns.
The public can also call the Commercial Crime Investigation Department Scam Response Centre at 03-2610 1559 or 03-2610 1599, he added.
