A 70-year-old government retiree lost RM367,950 after falling victim to a non-existent online investment scheme operated by a scam syndicate.
Kuala Terengganu police chief ACP Azli Mohd Noor said the victim received a WhatsApp message on July 31 from a woman who identified herself as Via.
He said the woman claimed to have sent the message to the wrong person, having mistaken the victim for a contractor acquaintance, before striking up a conversation with him.
“After getting to know each other over a period of time, the suspect persuaded the victim to join an investment scheme to generate income after retirement. Initially, the victim made three small investments and received the promised returns.
“The suspect then instructed the victim to make incremental capital payments into several bank accounts, which were allegedly intermediaries for the investment scheme. Trusting the suspect, the victim made 72 transactions involving 13 different accounts, totalling RM367,950, between Aug 22 and Sept 30, using proceeds from a land sale,” he said in a statement today.
Azli said the suspect later informed the victim that his capital and profits from the investment, which were allegedly held on a specific platform, had exceeded RM800,000.
However, he said the victim was required to pay a processing fee of RM80,765 to withdraw the funds.
Suspecting that he had been scammed, the victim did not make the requested payment and subsequently lodged a police report at 11.49 am yesterday,” he said.
He added that the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
