KUALA LUMPUR: A 31-year-old woman has lost a RM203,000 Rolex watch to a cheque fraud while attempting to sell it.
The woman who only wants to be as Lee was trying to sell her limited edition Rolex Daytona 126519LN watch on social media platforms.
A man claiming to be ‘Raymond Pang’ had expressed his interest and agreed on paying RM203,000.
Lee agreed to meet Pang for the sale on Monday (March 3) at 8pm.
However, Pang texted Lee that he was busy right before they were due to meet, saying that he had sent one of his ‘employees’ on his behalf.
“Then Raymond said that he will do the instant transfer now, and afterwards, sent me two bank slips that look very real,” she said at a press conference at Wisma MCA on Thursday.
Lee said Pang had sent two cheque deposit slips via WhatsApp, showing payments of RM100,000 and RM103,000.
Lee also checked her bank account which showed the money reflected in her balance and then handed over the watch after taking a picture of the ‘employee’.
However, it turned out that the cheque had bounced after a few days, and the sum no longer reflected in her bank account.
After realising that she had been scammed, she tried to call Pang to no avail, and the number was no longer contactable, she said. She subsequently filed a police report.
Reading up on the issue on the social media platform Rednote, she discovered other victims who sold second-hand luxury watches falling for the same scam.
“Those scam cases are quite recent, in the last few months.
“I had waited for three years to buy the watch, as it was rare and limited edition. I could have sold it for a higher price, as the value appreciates, but I needed the money,” she said.
She added that checking the Facebook profile of ‘Raymond Pang’ showed photos of him receiving award and posing with a motivational speaker.
“From his Facebook account, he looked like a legitimate buyer,” she said.
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department (PSCD) head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said that he is optimistic that the case can be solved, as there is photo evidence of the employee of ‘Pang’.
“I think this case can be over very soon if the investigation is seriously taken,” he said and suspects that the scammer impersonated ‘Raymond Pang’.
He said that the department has received 12 cases of online purchase scams over the last three years, totalling scams amounting to RM7,624,000, with the highest at RM350,000.
