KUALA TERENGGANU, JULY 19 — An electrician lost RM150,000 after being scammed by a non-existent investment syndicate earlier this month.
Kuala Terengganu District Police Chief, ACP Azli Mohd Noor said that on July 3, the 48-year-old man received a message from a female suspect offering an investment scheme via the WhatsApp application.
He said the suspect persuaded the victim to participate in the investment scheme which allegedly could generate huge profits in a short period of time.
“Initially, the suspect instructed the victim to make five initial investments and provide a return on the profits as promised. This was to convince the victim that the scheme was legitimate and truly profitable.
“The suspect then offered a larger investment package, namely capital of RM100,000 with a profit bonus of approximately RM70,000,” he said in a statement today.
Azli said the victim then made investments of RM150,000 through four transactions to four different accounts from July 8 to 16.
However, after the payment was made, the victim not only failed to receive the promised profit bonus, but his investment account was also frozen.
“The suspect asked the victim to make an additional payment to enable his investment account to be reactivated and the bonus money to be withdrawn.
“The victim, who realised she had been cheated, lodged a police report at 5.07pm yesterday and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code,” he said.
— BERNAMA
