JOHOR BARU: A 49-year-old man here has fallen victim to an online investment scam, losing close to RM540,000 after being lured by a fraudulent stock trading advertisement on social media.
Johor Baru North OCPD Asst Comm Balveer Singh said the victim came across the advertisement on TikTok in October 2023 and communicated with an individual named Alicia Goh via mobile phone.
“The suspect allegedly introduced the victim to a stock investment opportunity and added him to a WhatsApp group called '108 Winning Investment Circle'.
“The victim was then instructed to download the Silegx application to monitor his supposed investment profits, which displayed an impressive balance of US$1.1mil (RM4.9mil),” he said here on Wednesday (March 19).
ACP Balveer added that the victim, believing the platform to be legitimate, transferred funds totalling RM539,647 in 10 transactions into five different bank accounts between Nov 8 and Jan 3.
He said the victim only realised he had been scammed after failing to withdraw his “profits” and being told to make additional payments instead.
“The victim lodged a police report on Tuesday (March 18),” he said, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
ACP Balveer urged the public to remain vigilant against commercial crime and not to trust online investment or job offers that promise easy earnings and high commissions.
He said the public should use online services provided by the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), including Semak Mule; or contact the CCID Scam Response Centre at 03-26101559 or 03-26101599; or refer to CCID social media channels to learn about the latest scam tactics or check on blacklisted or suspected mule accounts.
