THE rising number of scams has inspired production company Dream Film Sdn Bhd to raise awareness about the menace through a new film titled 'Oppa'.
As a collaborative project with the police and the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), 'Oppa' will feature 50 police personnel with a storyline adapted from a real case.
The main narrative will revolve around a female primary schoolteacher who yearns for love and meets her "dream boyfriend" in the virtual world.
But what she did not realise is that she is being deceived by a love scam syndicate, causing her to lose a lot of money besides suffering a big heartache.
Bringing together actors from various races with the dialogue spoken in multiple languages, the film cost nearly RM2 million to produce. The international cast member is award-winning South Korean star and singer Jang Tae Oh.
Set to hit cinemas in May, 'Oppa' director Denil Choon Lin Loong said he was honoured to be entrusted with highlighting an important message to Malaysians through this film.
"This collaboration reflects a strong partnership between Dream Film and international talent in dealing with fraud syndicates.
"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, 'Oppa' will be released in May, to raise awareness about the dangers of falling for love scams.
"I am proud to be able to work with the police to create a cinematic representation of a despicable syndicate case that the police had dealt with.
"Aside from raising awareness, 'Oppa' also goes in line with the police's commitment to public safety."
Choon added that although the authorities usually provide awareness in a conventional form, this time, they wanted to highlight a real story in a form that is closer to the community.
"I've read lots of news on scams and a particular fraud called the love scam, which has caused so many people to get cheated, had caught my attention.
"I was then inspired to highlight the menace through my work.
"There's a true story, where the scammer uses the profile of Koreans to deceive his victims.
"So, I chose to use an actor from South Korea to portray the role of a fraudster.
"I am not only grateful to Jang, but to the police officers who were willing to cooperate with us," he said.
Choon added that he was also very thankful for the support of many sponsors who wanted to contribute to the success of the film.
Aside from Jang, 'Oppa' also stars Jacqueline Goh, Lee Qi, Amanda Tan, Sadiq M. Jamil and many more.
