RECEIVING unexpected gifts in the mail might sound like a pleasant surprise, but recent reports suggest these mysterious parcels could be the start of an elaborate scam.
Social media has been abuzz with Malaysians sharing stories of receiving packages they never ordered, supposedly sent as "gifts" from e-commerce platforms to thank them for their purchases.
Are scammers really using this tactic to target unsuspecting victims?
Verdict:
TRUE
Police have confirmed that sending unsolicited parcels to people's homes is a new scam tactic being used to defraud Malaysians.
According to MyCheck Malaysia, many people have been receiving packages through the post sent directly to their homes even though they did not order or purchase anything.
The packages received were said to be gifts sent by e-commerce platform companies to customers as a token of appreciation for making purchases on their platforms.
After receiving the gift, scammers contact the victim and persuade them to carry out paid tasks that promise high commissions but require the victim to make certain payments.
MyCheck conducted checks on TikTok and found a video uploaded by a woman who shared her experience of nearly becoming a scam victim after receiving a water bottle through the post.
The woman, using the account name @mardiafabli, said she initially received a call from an unknown individual claiming to be from a digital marketing company.
The individual informed her that they would send her a gift as a token of appreciation for supporting e-commerce platforms, including Shopee and TikTok.
@mardiafabli said she received the water bottle but because she felt uneasy, she decided to throw it away.
The woman said she was also fortunate to have seen many videos about the new scammer trend of sending gifts to people's homes, which caused her not to entertain calls from the scammer who contacted her after sending the item.
Many netizens in the comment section said they also received various types of gifts through the post, with some of them having been scammed out of RM9,000.
Police Anti-Scam Ambassador Rahmat Fitri Abdullah explained the modus operandi in a TikTok video.
According to Rahmat Fitri, sending packages to homes is the latest modus operandi by scammers.
He said scammers send packages through the post and when the items are received, the victim's phone number is added to a WhatsApp group or Telegram.
Victims are asked to make comments or reviews on the packages they have received.
Next, victims are asked to share personal and banking details such as bank QR codes and others.
Victims are then asked to carry out several tasks which ultimately cause victims to be trapped when they unknowingly make payments to scammers.
To obtain further information, MyCheck contacted the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department.
Its director, Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa, confirmed the existence of a new fraud trend where victims receive packages or gifts sent directly to their homes without requesting them.
He said victims are contacted by individuals who introduce themselves as representatives of the gift-giving company and subsequently direct victims to carry out several paid tasks.
According to Rusdi, victims are promised high commission returns if they complete the tasks.
"However, after several payment transactions are made, the victim finally realises that the money cannot be returned and has become a victim of fraud," he said.
Rusdi explained that this fraud modus operandi has similarities with part-time job scams which have become increasingly rampant recently.
He also informed that so far, his party has detected three police reports related to this scam made in Kuala Lumpur, Kedah and Sarawak respectively, involving losses of more than RM20,000.
Rusdi also advised the public to immediately report to the authorities or the courier company involved if they receive any unsolicited packages.
"Ignore if you receive unsolicited packages. Do not make any payments even if asked to activate gifts, open packages or complete tasks," he said.
In addition, he said do not download external applications sent by unknown individuals and verify the phone number or identity of the contacts before interacting.
The public is also asked to check suspicious account numbers or lines through the Semak Mule portal at https://semakmule.rmp.gov.
References:
1. https://www.mycheck.my/
2.
