KUANTAN: A woman trader lost RM335,400 after falling victim to a non-existent online investment scheme.
Pahang Police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the 53-year-old woman was drawn to the investment after seeing an advertisement on Facebook on April 30 and subsequently contacted an individual who introduced herself as ‘Serena’ via WhatsApp.
"The victim was later added to a WhatsApp group and instructed to download an investment application,” he said in a statement today.
He said the victim made 22 transactions to seven different bank accounts between June 2 and July 23, allegedly for investment purposes.
Yahaya said based on the information displayed on the application, the victim believed she had made investment profits totalling RM4.8mil but was later asked to pay a 12 per cent commission, or RM221,670, in order to make a withdrawal.
"The victim, who had used her savings for the investment, realised she had been duped when pressured to make additional payments,” he said.
Yahaya reminded the public to be cautious of online investment schemes that promise high returns within a short period, particularly those promoted on social media. - Bernama
