KUALA LUMPUR: Dozens of disgruntled customers have come forward after claiming they were duped by a Malaysian influencer who sold them lab-grown diamonds instead of the real deal.
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said that at least 30 of the victims had lost a collective amount of around RM1mil since 2023 to the influencer.
He explained that the influencer offered jewellery and good fortune trinkets to her customers but has used misleading terms to convince them that they were real diamonds.
“After we sent them in for lab analysis, we found that it was lab-grown,” he said.
Besides the diamonds, lawyer Esther Hor, who represented the group, said make-up products sold to some of the victims were portrayed as chemical-free. But it was later found to contain mercury.
“At least 30 police reports all over the country have been filed. We also have Singaporean victims with around three to four reports lodged in Singapore as well,” she said.
She added that attempts to privately settle the matter failed, with some in the group failing to contact the influencer after demanding refunds.
“She also stated that there would be no refunds in her Instagram stories. We believe she started doing so because of the number of complaints sent,” Hor said.
Chong added that he and his legal team will compile the police reports and study the matter to identify the type of aid that can be given to the victims.
“This is just ‘chapter one’. We believe more will come out,” he said.
