JOHOR BARU: A company manager lost RM262,669, supposedly after falling victim to an online stock investment scam conducted through WhatsApp.
Seri Alam police chief Supt Mohd Sohaimi Ishak said the police received a report on the incident yesterday after the 39-year-old victim realised he had been cheated.
“The victim said the incident began last April when he came across a stock investment advertisement on WhatsApp that promised lucrative returns within a short period,” he said in a statement, Bernama reported.
“The victim made 16 transactions into two different bank accounts between April 25 and July 4, amounting to a total of RM262,669.”
He said the victim was later asked to make an additional payment purportedly for the withdrawal of investment profits, but no returns were received.
He added that the victim realised he had been scammed after his efforts to recover the investment money failed.
“Initial investigations using the Semak Mule platform by the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) found that one of the bank accounts used in the transactions had a prior police report linked to an investment fraud case,” he said.
The police will also carry out additional investigations into the use of mule accounts and take appropriate action against the involved account holders.
Supt Mohd Sohaimi urged the public to exercise caution with investment schemes that promise high returns in a short time and to verify the legitimacy of companies through the Securities Commission Malaysia and the Semak Mule portal before making any transactions.
The public is also warned against sharing personal or banking information with unknown parties and to stay informed about commercial crime tactics via CCID’s social media channels.
