KUALA LUMPUR: A foreign scammer has been misusing a Malaysian company's profile to sell counterfeit health supplements.
The scammer also used identities and images of the company's agents to pose as legitimate representatives, deceiving customers into purchasing the fake products.
The case was uncovered when the company's agents received complaints from their customers and reports of discrepencies in the fake products' packaging.
Datuk Dr Ravee Packirisamy, who is managing director of the company said the scammer used tactics to lure customers.
"The scammer, posing as our agents, would attract customers by offering discounts or promotions like 'Buy 1, Get 1 Free.'
"When customers wanted to purchase the product, the scammer would provide their own website link, redirecting customers to their fraudulent site," said Ravee Packirisamy during a special press conference with the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department at Wisma MCA here today.
Ravee added that the scammer's website falsely claimed his company was bankrupt, which is untrue.
"To make customers buy more, they alleged that my company was bankrupt and needed to clear stock immediately.
"The scammer is suspected to have sold about 2,000 bottles of products with customers receiving packages directly from China," he said.
Ravee said the first reports of the scams came from the company's legitimate agents, who were informed about the fake products from their customers.
"The scammer also changed the packaging and the content of the products, which should contain capsule but substituted them with a fake tablet version.
"The company received over 30 calls from worried customers, although, fortunately, no adverse health effects have been reported so far.
"We are deeply concerned that customers might think we are scamming them," he said.
Concerned about their reputation and customer trust, Ravee said the company has taken immediate action by alerting their agents and using social media platforms to warn about the scam.
Ravee has also lodged a report to cybercrime authorities and is cooperating with the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) to block the fraudulent website.
Meanwhile, MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, who was present at the press conference advised the public to be cautious of these scams, as the counterfeit products lack the necessary authorisation.
"Customers must be vigilant and ensure they purchase products only from authorised sellers or their nearest pharmacy to guarantee legitimacy.
"Be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true.
"If you detect any scam activities, please call the Cyber999 Hotline at 1-300-88-2999 to report them directly," he added.