KUALA LUMPUR: A 67-year-old accountant from Sabah has fallen victim to a long-running love scam, losing over RM2.21 million to an online lover she never met over the course of seven years.
This case could be the longest-running love scam targeting an individual in Malaysian history.
Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf confirmed receiving a report from the victim on Dec 16.
"The woman first met the man in October 2017. He claimed to be from the United States and working in the medical equipment business in Singapore. Over time, their relationship developed, and they became online lovers," he told reporters today.
He said the suspect then told the victim he wanted to move to Malaysia but lacked the funds for transportation costs.
"Initially, the woman transferred RM5,000 to him, and that was when the requests for money began.
"Investigations revealed that over the next seven years, the victim transferred more than RM2.21 million to the suspect through 306 transactions to 50 different bank accounts," he added.
Ramli said the woman only realised she had been scammed when she confided in a friend about the relationship last month.
In a separate incident, he said that a 57-year-old woman from Selangor lost nearly RM2.5 million in another love scam.
He said the woman met a man online in April, who claimed to be from England.
Ramli said after two weeks of communication, he said he was planning to visit Malaysia, but claimed his friend had been detained by Customs for attempting to bring in US$500 million.
"The woman was told to make payments to various government agencies and banks to secure the release of the individual," he said.
The woman made 13 transactions totalling RM2.47 million before realising she had been deceived.
Both cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
Ramli advised the public to exercise caution when engaging with people online.
"Whenever possible, try to communicate through video calls or in person to ensure you're not being deceived. Scammers often make excuses to avoid video calls," he said.
He also urged people not to send money to individuals they had never met in person.