KUALA LUMPUR: National mixed doubles shuttler Lai Pei Jing invested in Dobevil to shore up her finances, but in the end lost nearly all of her life's savings.
The 31-year-old is not the only victim of the Dobevil scam.
Earlier this month, Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said they received two reports linked to the Dobevil and Dobemall apps involving losses of around RM540,600.
Dobevil
According to Lai, Dobevil works like a cross-border e-commerce platform. A quick search pulls up links to the Dobevil website and app.
The landing page for the website appears like other e-commerce sites, though unlike popular e-commerce sites, there are no links to an "About Us" or "Contact Us" page.
In Lai's case, she was introduced to Dobevil by a friend but in other cases reported, victims found out about Dobevil through social media ads.
A check on data service provider ScamAdviser raised some red flags including a lack of information on the website's owner, the sale of high-end brands at low prices and low website traffic among others.
How Lai was scammed
Lai said DoBeVil runs like an "online store" involving regular processes including order taking, procurement, manufacturer shipping and buyer signing.
However, the entire process, including buying is controlled by the scammers.
Although orders piled up, she was required to invest more money to keep her business running. She was told her account would be frozen if she failed to do so.
She suspected something was amiss when the amount of orders grew too big. She then told her family but by then, had lost around RM400,000.
How others were scammed
According to Ramli, two victims in Selangor and Sarawak were told to use Dobevil and Dobemall to make purchases with the promise of making money from commissions.
However, they were charged fees when they tried to withdraw their money.
The police are probing both apps including the link between Dobevil and Dobemall.
Then, Ramli said the police would work with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to take down Dobemall.
A check revealed that the app is no longer available for download.
When contacted Ramli said they were investigating the Dobevil website which is still accessible.
"At the same time, we also urge anyone who has been scammed by the website or apps to come forward immediately.
"We need as much information as possible from victims to get to the bottom of this issue and stop more people from being scammed," he said.
Those with information on Dobevil should the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997, he said.
Ramli advised the public to be cautious when making purchases or taking part in investments online.