KUALA TERENGGANU – A private sector retiree lost RM142,300 after being scammed by an advertisement for the sale of a four-wheel drive vehicle on social media.
Terengganu police chief Datuk Mohd Khairi Khairudin said on May 13, the 55-year-old man was attracted to a Facebook advertisement for the sale of a Mitsubishi Pajero, which was supposedly auctioned by the bank at the price of RM28,000.
“Interested in the price offer, the victim contacted the suspect through WhatsApp and he made two money transfers for deposit purposes of RM6,450 and a third transfer for insurance purposes of RM4,850 on the same day,” he said in a statement today.
Khairi said the victim was also asked to pay for customs clearance and the man had made 26 money transfers totaling RM131,000.
He said the victim was promised that the money he had paid using his retirement savings would be returned once the sale and purchase of the vehicle was completed.
However, he said after being urged by the suspect to make another payment for various reasons, the victim made a police report last Thursday (May 16).
In this regard, Khairi reminded the public to be careful as the offers that are too good to be true could be a trap.
“People are asked to check before conducting any transaction. Account numbers and phone numbers can be checked through the commercial crime investigation department’s official portal, https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my/.
“If suspicious of being scammed, one can immediately contact the National Scam Response Centre at 997,” he said. – May 21, 2024