IPOH: A freelance interpreter lost about RM572,130 after being duped in a crypto currency investment scam.
Taiping police chief ACP Mohamad Nasir Ismail said the 37-year-old woman was attracted by the investment after being promised a 20% return on her investment.
“The suspect, a foreign national man who introduced himself as ‘Yang Yuting’, got in touch with the victim through Instagram on Aug 10.
"He later provided his phone number (+6581446951) and they began communicating through WhatsApp,” he said in a statement on Friday (Sept 19).
ACP Mohamad Nasir added that the suspect then sent her an investment link and guided her on how to make the investment.
"The victim was asked to invest US$2,000 (RM8,740) as her first deposit and on Aug 22, she transferred the money into a company account.
"For this initial investment, she received a return of US$2,280.47 (RM9,595)," he said.
Convinced by the profit, the victim continued investing. Between Aug 26 and Sept 5, she made 12 online transfers into nine different bank accounts, amounting to RM572,130.
"The suspect later instructed her to deposit more money to increase her investment value and even told her to take out a bank loan.
"The victim refused as she realised she had been cheated and lodged a police report on Sept 19,” he added.
ACP Mohamad Nasir said that the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and that investigations are ongoing.
He also advised the public not to be easily deceived by calls from unknown numbers.
"Also, do not to invest in schemes or platforms that are unregistered or illegal.
"Do not blindly trust investment plans that promise quick and easy profits and be cautious of investment offers made online," he added.
