ALOR SETAR: A retired engineer lost more than RM100,000 after being deceived into seeking assistance following an earlier scam.
Kedah Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) acting head Deputy Supt Jasmani Sabrini said the 54-year-old victim lodged a report at the Kuala Muda district police headquarters last Sunday.
“On May 16, 2025, the victim was browsing 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 WhatsApp 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 yesterday.
DSP Jasmani said the victim made a total of eight online transfers to several bank accounts, involving different individuals and company names.
The transactions we carrried out between May 28 and June 18 last year.
“The total losses amounted to RM108,001, and at the time the police report was lodged, the scammer was still demanding additional payments under the pretext of recovering the victim’s money.
“Investigations revealed that the man had previously fallen victim to scams, with three cases in Sungai Petani and Padang Serai involving non-existent loan schemes,” he said.
DSP Jasmani advised the public to remain vigilant and not be deceived by online advertisements offering to recover money lost to scams.
“The public should verify with the police before making any suspicious transactions, and also use the Semak Mule app, check the CCID Facebook page or contact the National Scam Response Centre at 997,” he added.
