KUALA LUMPUR: Greed led a housewife to lose RM244,708 of her savings, to a get rich quick syndicate, which used promisory four-digit numbers to dupe her into believing she would win RM1 million.
MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau chief Datuk Michael Chong said the victim, who only wanted to be known as Yeoh, 57, had received a brochure that offered to change her luck.
“In the brochure was a name and telephone number of a fengshui ‘sifu’ (believed to be a bogus ‘sifu’) plus testimony of those who had apparently benefited from the sifu’s predictions.
“The sifu promised to give four-digit numbers that will change the victims luck and gain five times the money invested by the victim,” he told reporters here yesterday.
He said Yeoh who was convinced by the contents in the brochure, had later contacted the ‘sifu’ who had requested her to bank in RM244,708 into five different bank accounts.
The victim said she was asked to bank in the money so that the ‘sifu’ could buy religious items for a prayer that would help change the victim’s destiny and in return receive good luck.
On Oct 20, the victim who was asked to bank in the money, had banked in all her savings and had intended to borrow more money from her daughter, he said.
Chong said her daughter realised that her mother had been cheated and lodged a police report on Oct 27.
He added that according to statistics, since 2007, 19 victims, comprising housewives and businessmen had become victims of similar fraud, involving about RM930,000.
“I urge the public who come across suspicious individuals, to quickly lodge a police report,” said Chong. — Bernama