BATU PAHAT: A 61-year-old man lost RM823,000 to a fake investment scheme after being lured by promises of high returns advertised on Facebook.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Shahrulanuar Mushaddat Abdullah Sani said the victim came across the investment opportunity on Facebook on Sept 23.
He clicked on the advertisement, which directed him to a WhatsApp chat, where he communicated with a stranger who convinced him to invest in the scheme.
Between Nov 8 and Dec 17, he transferred RM823,000 in stages into two bank accounts, he said.
According to the victim, the investment seemed credible as the application displayed a profit of over RM1.1 million.
However, when he tried to withdraw his 'profits,' he was asked to make additional payments to access the funds, which he refused.
Realising he had been conned, he lodged a police report yesterday.
Shahrulanuar urged the public to be cautious of investment offers promising unrealistically high returns.
Refer to the police's official Facebook pages, @jsjkpdrm and @cybercrimealertrmp for updates on commercial crimes as a precaution against falling victim to scams.