KUANTAN: A 44-year-old housewife from Jerantut lost RM144,750 after falling victim to an online investment scam.
She was deceived into believing she had earned a lucrative profit through a fake investment scheme.
Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the scam unfolded on July 21 when the victim discovered an investment scheme through Telegram.
"The syndicate, posing as the 'Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd Investment Trusted scheme', enticed her to invest RM1,000.
"Shortly after, she was told she had earned RM30,000 in profit and was instructed to pay various processing fees to secure it.
"Between July 21 and Aug 8, the victim made 21 transactions totaling RM144,750 to 13 different bank accounts provided by the scammer," he said.
"She only realised she was being deceived when the scammer demanded more money, despite never receiving any profit," he added.
Yahaya also confirmed that a police report was filed yesterday, and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
He urged the public to be cautious of online investment schemes promising high returns and to verify account and phone numbers through https://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule before conducting any transactions.
Last month, Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf warned that investments promoted via Telegram were often fraudulent.