PONTIAN: A woman lost more than RM250,000 to a scammer posing as a “Datuk” who promised her two motorcycles with special vehicle registration numbers – only for him to vanish after receiving the full payment.
The 45-year-old victim, who only wanted to be known as Go, said she came across a Facebook advertisement offering services for vehicle registration plates on Aug 20.
She contacted the agent behind the post, who introduced himself as a Datuk and even produced a name card displaying three company names, including one known for its runner services.
“He told me he could obtain my desired plate number, ‘SS 81’ for a motorcycle for RM25,800, but I managed to negotiate it down to RM23,800,” she said.
Go, who works in the private sector, initially issued a cheque to a car dealer’s bank account to cover the motorcycle registration and fingerprint verification.
“The first transaction went smoothly. After that, he convinced me to pay RM228,000 for another special number – SSB 1 – which he claimed belonged to someone else in Sandakan, Sabah, but could be transferred to me.
“He even sent me a photo of a vehicle ownership certificate bearing the JPJ (Road Transport Department) logo, which further convinced me the deal was genuine,” she said, adding that she made several online bank transfers to the agent’s company accounts for the payment.
“Later, he tried to convince me to buy a third special number for RM198,000, but I turned him down and told him to deliver the earlier two vehicles first before I make another decision.”
But when it came time to deliver the two motorcycles, Go said the man kept giving excuses, citing, among others, that his employee was sick.
“The so-called Datuk promised to personally deliver the motorcycles to me last Tuesday.
“I felt uneasy and called him at 2pm. He told me he was on the way. I called him again about three hours later, but by then, he had blocked my number. I could no longer contact him,” she said.
Alarmed, Go consulted JPJ and found that they hadn’t opened the SSB 1 plate for bidding.
She then contacted the company whose name had been used, only to be told it had never been involved in plate number sales and that its identity had been misused by the scammer.
She lodged a police report and sought help from Pekan Nanas assemblyman Tan Eng Meng to highlight the case to prevent others from falling victim.
A police official confirmed receiving the report.
Tan said the case showed that syndicates are becoming more sophisticated by forging documents and images to trick victims.
“The public should be cautious when making online transactions, especially those involving large sums of money.
“Always verify with JPJ that the number plate has been opened for bidding.
“Check the details of the company through the Companies Commission of Malaysia to avoid falling prey to impostors,” Tan advised.
