KUANTAN: A 28-year-old female teacher lost RM131,347 not once but twice to Facebook scammers within the space of two months.
The victim, who hails from here, first lost RM109,817 to a bogus online investment scheme before being cheated of RM20,900 by a non-existent loan ruse when she attempted to borrow RM20,000 earlier this month.
The incident unfolded on July 26 when the victim sought to join an online cryptocurrency investment scheme advertised on Facebook which promised high returns.
Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the victim was provided with a link and instructed to download an application known as "rednotes".
"She invested RM550 and immediately received RM400 in profit. The victim assumed the scheme was genuine and made 22 transactions amounting to RM109,817 into 11 separate bank accounts.
"The victim was instructed to pay RM20,000 to be eligible to claim US$22,000 (RM95,914) from the scheme. The victim landed herself in more trouble when she decided to seek a loan of RM20,000 through Facebook.
"The victim spotted the loan advertisement between Sept 5 and Sept 7 and wanted to borrow RM20,000 but was told to pay a processing fee. The victim made 10 transactions, amounting to RM20,900, into five separate bank accounts," he said in a statement today.
Yahaya said the victim, who had used her savings and borrowed money from family members and friends, lost a total of RM131,347. She lodged a police report yesterday.
Yahaya advised the public to be careful as fraudsters were increasingly using social media to prey on unsuspecting individuals.
The public is urged to check https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my before making any online cash transactions.