Photo for illustration purposes only. — Photo from Pixabay
SIBU (Sept 4): A civil servant in her 30s here recently fell victim to online part-time job and loan scams, which left her RM34,206 poorer.
Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili said the victim lodged a police report yesterday.
He said on Aug 18, the victim saw a part-time job offer online and contacted the number displayed to seek more information.
“She became interested and was asked to make payment to increase the sale rating of the company.
“The suspect also promised the victim that she would be given commission and capital returns.
“She was given a few items to sell online and tasked to click on the items displayed in the advertisement,” he said in a statement.
Zulkipli said the victim also made payment to carry out the next task and deposited money into the account given by the suspect to order goods.
The victim felt she needed additional funds to accomplish her task in order to obtain a sales commission and proceeded to make an online loan application on Sept 2 for this purpose, he said.
“She communicated with a suspect through WhatsApp where she was told to make advance payment in order to improve her credit score to borrow RM30,000.
“From Aug 28 until Sept 2, the victim had transferred a total of RM34,206 in four transactions to four different bank accounts.
“She realised it was a scam when she did not receive the promised commission and the loan amount,” he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
Zulkipli advised members of the public not to be easily duped by suspicious online job offers.
He said they must make a detailed check with the relevant company or agency before applying or accepting any dubious job offer.
“The public are also advised not to be easily deceived by advertisements promoting loans with low interest rates and fast approval without strict conditions on social media,” he added.
For more advice, call the National Scam Response Centre on 997 or the CCID Scam Response Centre on 03-28101559 or 03-26101599.