DUNGUN: A female doctor at a private clinic here lost RM558,000 after falling victim to an online Forex and Ethereum coin investment scam since January.
Dungun police chief Supt Nik Ab Halim Nik Mat said the 32-year-old victim initially saw an advertisement offering trading and investment lessons online before contacting an individual via Instagram.
She was later contacted by an individual known as “Wan” on WhatsApp and made 77 transactions to six accounts between Jan 12 and Aug 11, losing RM558,000.
“The victim was later told she had committed an offence and needed to pay compensation to avoid legal action, but realised she had been cheated after receiving no returns,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Kuala Terengganu, a retired civil servant lost RM92,781 after being duped by a fake online loan scheme.
District police chief ACP Azli Mohd Noor said the 60-year-old victim responded to a Facebook advertisement in June offering loans with low interest rates and attractive terms, Bernama reported.
The victim, who applied for a RM10,000 personal loan, was instructed to make payments for purported processing fees and eventually transferred RM92,781 through 86 transactions to 28 accounts between June 14 and Aug 13.
“He was also forced to provide personal details and continued to receive threats of legal action before lodging a police report,” he said in a statement.
Both cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Offenders can face between one and 10 years’ jail, caning and a possible fine, if convicted.
