IPOH: A housewife lost RM10,500 through unauthorised transactions after being duped by scammers impersonating customer service officers from an online shopping platform.
The victim, who identified herself as Tan, said she received a WhatsApp call on July 1 informing her that she had won a prize worth RM3,000 and was offered a choice between shopping vouchers or a cash reward to be credited into her e-wallet.
Tan, 56, said she opted for the cash reward.
The call, she said, was then transferred to another person who was supposedly the “manager” and who sounded like a foreigner.
“I just followed every instruction,” she told a press conference organised by Perak MCA Public Services and Complaints bureau chief Charles Yuen yesterday.
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 shopping 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Tan alleged that RM4,500 was charged to her pay later account, while another RM6,000 was withdrawn through the platform’s loan facility, bringing her total losses to RM10,500.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 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.
Tan said she had refused to repay both pay 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 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 suggested that people regularly check their credit records through CTOS (a credit reporting agency) and CCRIS (Bank Negara’s Central Credit Reference Information System) to detect any unauthorised borrowing activity.
