JOHOR BARU: A woman lost more than RM54,000 after being scammed into believing an online side job offering a high commission.
Seri Alam OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Sohaimi Ishak said the 32-year-old victim lodged a police report last Thursday (June 5), where she was duped into believing the offer she came across on Facebook.
“Her ordeal began on May 30 when she saw a job offer on the social media platform. The victim then clicked on the link given and was directed to a WhatsApp number.
“She was promised to get a commission from 10% and 35% in a short time,” he said here on Tuesday (June 10).
ACP Sohaimi added thinking the offer was legitimate, the victim then carried out 16 withdrawals into 10 different bank accounts between May 30 and June 3, amounting to RM54,950.
“The victim was then told to make more payments to allow her to withdraw her commission, but she failed to do it. She only realised she had been cheated after failing to get back her capital and commission.
“Initial investigation through the Semak Mule found that six out of the 10 bank accounts have seven police reports involving the same modus operandi,” he said.
He urged the public not to easily believe in any job opportunities that offer high commission in a short time and always make checks with the relevant authorities before making any payments.
ACP Sohaimi also said the public should get complete information on online job offers from verified sources and should immediately report to the authorities if they were doubtful.
“People should not give their personal information, including banking details, to unknown third parties and should not be fooled by any offers that provide easy money in a quick time.
“Use the Semak Mule before carrying out any financial transactions and if they have been scammed, please contact the National Scam Response Centre at 997 as an early action to stop their money from going out of the suspect’s account,” he added.
