KUANTAN: A 63-year-old woman was cheated of RM18,000 when she tried to help a friend purportedly detained by the Immigration Department.
Pahang Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Supt Mohd Wazir Yusof said the suspect who the victim claimed was a businessman in London, came to Malaysia on July 16 after she befriended him via social network in June.
“The victim alleged that an airline personnel called her on July 17 to inform that the man had been detained by Immigration authorities for carrying too much cash and she was asked to bail him out by transferring money into two separate accounts,” he told reporters here today.
Mohd Wazir said the victim lodged a police report last night when she realised this could be a scam after she was urged to continue transferring money into the accounts provided by the suspect.
In another development Mohd Wazir said a gardener in Cameron Highlands claimed he was cheated after he was made to pay RM12,550 for a RM30,000 loan.
He said the 24-year-old victim had agreed to the loan offer made via phone on July 13, and was asked to pay the processing fee two days later.
“The victim realised he had been cheated when he was instructed to open a new account for repayment purposes and to pay for various other fees, he added. – Bernama