MELAKA: A childcare centre operator in Bukit Piatu here incurred RM1.06 million in losses in less than two weeks when she was cheated by an acquaintance into investing in a non-existent scheme.
Melaka police chief Datuk Zainol Samah said the 53-year-old woman became acquainted with a Taiwanese man, believed to be living in Japan, through Instagram on April 27.
"Since then, they had been keeping in touch online and through SMS, and soon developed a close relationship.
"On May 7, the suspect encouraged the victim to invest in a scheme by buying goods purportedly from the United States through the website, https://everythingmallx.cc/," he said in a statement here today.
He said the victim was required to purchase the items in bulk and resell them to earn a 10 per cent profit for every item sold.
She made 28 payments to six accounts totalling RM1.06 million between May 7 and 30.
Zainol said on May 30, the victim found out through the website that her commission had reached US$200,000. However, she became suspicious when she was told to make an additional payment to obtain the commission.
The next day, the website could not be accessed and the suspect's Instagram account was closed, which prompted the victim to lodge a report at the Ayer Keroh police station on Wednesday. -- Bernama