KOTA BHARU: A single mother in her 50s, who is also a government retiree, claims to have lost more than RM480,000 to a love scam syndicate.
Kelantan Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) chief Supt Ahmad Azizul Mohamed said this was the largest amount of loss reported in online scams in Kelantan to date.
Commenting further, he said the victim first became acquainted with the man via social media last month.
“Based on the information, the victim was told by the suspect that he worked in the oil and gas industry and was settled in the United Kingdom.
“Shortly after getting acquainted, the suspect said he wanted to send RM650,000 to the victim.
“At the end of last month, the victim was contacted by a woman claiming to be an officer from Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
“She told the victim that her acquaintance had transferred money through the bank.
“To process the transaction, she told the victim to pay a certain sum so that the money would not be frozen,” he said when contacted by Bernama yesterday.
In two weeks, the victim made transactions amounting to RM480,000 to the account of the alleged bank officer.
“After a while, the victim became suspicious and realised that she had been duped and then, lodged a police report at the Gua Musang District police headquarters on Oct 9,” he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which provides a jail term of between one and 10 years, with whipping and a fine, upon conviction.
“Love scam is one of the most frequently reported cyber-crime cases.
“The public is advised not to easily believe and follow instructions given by individuals who only communicate online.
“They can seek advice from the authorities if they get dubious calls, especially those asking for payment, financial information or bank accounts,” added Ahmad Azizul. — Bernama