SHAH ALAM: Online shopping fans are urged to be careful when buying things online as the number of fraud cases reported are rising.
In Selangor alone, a total of 302 online fraud cases involving losses of RM1.5 million were reported from January to May this year.
Selangor Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Sakri Arifin said the number of police reports received are expected to continue to rise if people do not take some basic precautions including doing some background check on the seller before doing any transaction.
"All cases involved local customers who do not received the items they bought even though full payment has been made.
"The scammers use social media like Facebook, Wechat and other online platforms to advertise their products by offering attractive deals to attract customers," he said here, today.
Mohd Sakri said those who commit the offence can be charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and face a maximum 10-year jail term if found guilty.