IPOH: A housewife is appealing to an online shopping platform to reverse RM10,500 in unauthorised transactions after she allegedly fell victim to scammers posing as the platform’s customer service officers.
The victim, who wishes to be known as Tan, 56, claimed she received a WhatsApp call on July 1 informing her that she had won a RM3,000 third prize and was offered a choice between shopping vouchers or a cash reward to be credited into her e-wallet.
She said she opted for the cash reward and was guided by the caller, who later transferred the call to another individual claiming to be a manager.
“The manager sounded Indonesian. From then on, I just followed every instruction.
“They took control of my phone screen and kept directing me from one page to another without giving me time to think,” she said at a press conference organised by Perak MCA Public Services and Complaints bureau chief Charles Yuen on Tuesday (July 14).
Tan said the scammers later sent her a link and instructed her to enter her bank ID.
Realising she had been duped, she immediately ended the call, about 30 to 45 minutes after it began.
“I contacted the platform’s customer service through the app, activated the kill switch and lodged a police report within an hour of the incident.
“However, the official complaint submitted through the app, together with screenshots and supporting documents, later disappeared from my phone,” she said.
Tan alleged that RM4,500 was charged to her pay later account, while another RM6,000 was withdrawn through the platform’s loan facility, bringing her total losses to RM10,500.
The victim said on top of that, the RM6,000 loan was converted into a 24-month repayment plan requiring monthly instalments of more than RM300, despite her not receiving any money.
She also claimed the RM4,500 pay later amount was transferred to an entity listed as “Lucky Boy Trading”, although she had not purchased any goods.
She said she has refused to repay both the later charges and the loan, adding that the online platform has yet to provide a definitive response beyond informing her that investigations are ongoing.
“I am also surprised as to how the scammers obtained my user ID, as this could only be viewed within the account security section of the app,” she added.
Yuen called on e-commerce platforms to strengthen security measures for digital payment and financing services.
He said the payment facilities offered convenience but should include stronger safeguards to prevent fraudulent transactions.
The bureau advised the public not to trust unsolicited notifications claiming they had won prizes, particularly those received through WhatsApp, SMS or links from unknown sources.
He reminded consumers that legitimate e-commerce platforms do not normally notify users of prizes through unofficial channels or request personal details, banking information or one-time passwords via third parties.
“I also urge users not to click on links sent by unknown contacts, even if the callers claimed to represent legitimate companies, as scammers could use malicious links to gain control of victims’ devices.
“Users are also encouraged to regularly check their credit records through CTOS and CCRIS to detect any unauthorised borrowing activity.
“I hope the police’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department will thoroughly investigate such cases, as reports of similar scams were being received daily,” he added.
