ALOR SETAR: A retired engineer lost more than RM100,000 after being deceived into seeking assistance following an earlier scam.
Kedah acting commercial crime investigation department chief Deputy Superintendent Jasmani Sabrini said that the 54-year-old victim lodged a police report at the Kuala Muda district police headquarters (IPD) at 12.09pm on Sunday (Jan 11).
"On May 16, 2025, the victim was browsing the social media platform Facebook when he came across an advertisement stating, 'If you are a victim of a scam, please contact us.' The victim clicked on the link and provided his name and phone number.
"He was subsequently contacted via the WhatsApp application and asked to fill in his personal details for application purposes. Before the application could be processed, the victim was instructed to make an advance payment to open a file," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Jan 14).
Jasmani said the victim made eight online transfers to several bank accounts, using different individual and company names, between May 28 and June 18 last year.
"The total loss suffered by the victim amounted to RM108,001, and, at the time the police report was lodged, the party involved was still demanding additional payments under the pretext of recovering the victim's money.
"Investigations also revealed that the man had previously fallen victim to scams, with three cases opened in Sungai Petani and Padang Serai involving non-existent loan schemes," he said.
Jasmani advised the public to remain vigilant and not be deceived by online advertisements offering services to recover money lost to scams.
"The public is encouraged to verify with the police before making any suspicious transactions, as well as to use the Semak Mule application, check the CCID Facebook page or contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997," he added. – Bernama
