KOTA KINABALU: In a distressing incident, a woman from Kota Kinabalu fell victim to a love scam and lost RM2.5 million. The scam involved a man who claimed to be a Korean and had befriended her through social media.
The woman, who works as an assistant manager at a private company, transferred the money to the suspect’s account via 41 bank transfers to 24 different accounts over a period of two months starting from May 26. The shocking revelation of being deceived came to light when she was unable to contact the man.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun stated that the 46-year-old woman lodged a police report after realizing she had been cheated. According to Commissioner Jauteh, the victim first encountered the scammer on Instagram. The man introduced himself as “Ji Won from Korea” and their relationship gradually grew closer through frequent communication on WhatsApp.
The suspect manipulated the victim by claiming to be running an oil and gas business in Italy, but faced certain banking issues. He then asked the woman for financial assistance to purchase goods for his company.
Believing the suspect’s story, the woman made payments a staggering 41 times over two months, totaling more than RM2.5 million, into 24 different bank accounts as instructed by the scammer. It was later when the suspect asked for more money that the victim began to grow suspicious.
“Unfortunately, the victim lost contact with the fraudster,” Commissioner Jauteh added.
The case has been registered under Section 420 of the Penal Code to investigate the act of cheating. As a precautionary measure, the public is urged to remain vigilant against such scams. Individuals are advised to visit the police website, http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/, or download the CCID mule check application for verifying transactions before making any financial exchanges.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
