JOHOR BARU: A businessman and an assistant manager in the state became RM1.2 million poorer in total after falling victim to an online scam in two separate incidents in April this year.
In the first case, a 57-year-old businessman lost RM733,597, which he had invested in an online part-time job scheme that turned out to be a scam.
Johor police chief Commissioner M. Kumar said the nightmare for the businessman started when he was contacted via a messenger application on April 22, before the conversation moved to WhatsApp.
"Promising attractive commissions and lucrative returns, the businessman was told to register his participation on a specified website.
"As per the instructions of the suspect, the businessman carried out the task given to him, which was to purchase sports equipment and cosmetics," Kumar said in a statement today.
The businessman realised that the scheme was actually a scam when he attempted to withdraw the supposed commission he had earned from completing the assigned tasks.
"When the website displayed a profit of RM70,000, the businessman tried to withdraw his commission. It was at that point he realised he had been scammed, as he was then instructed to make additional payments in order to withdraw his earnings," Kumar said.
The businessman subsequently filed a police report upon realizing that he had been duped.
As for the other case, the assistant manager, 41, fell victim to a bogus overseas college shares investment scheme after encountering an online advertisement on April 2.
The victim contacted the suspect via WhatsApp and gathered information about the investment promising high returns. He downloaded a given application and registered an account to monitor his investments.
He made online bank transfers amounting to RM472,400 to several specified bank accounts.
"Initially, his investment showed growth up to RM3.7million. However, when he tried to withdraw funds, the suspect made excuses and eventually became unreachable.
"It was only then that he realised he had been scammed and proceeded to lodge a police report."
Kumar said both victims lost a total of RM1,205,997, and the cases are investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
He advised the public to always verify the legitimacy of online investment or job offers through platforms provided by the police, Bank Negara Malaysia, and the Securities Commission Malaysia.
