2 online scams reported in Sarawak involving losses of RM608,000

KUCHING, July 12: Two online scams reported on July 11 have resulted in a total loss of RM608,000 in Sarawak, according to Sarawak Police Commissioner Dato Mancha Ata.

The first victim, a 70-year-old engineer from Kuching, lost RM500,000 to a fraudulent online investment scam advertised on Facebook.

“After expressing interest in the advertisement, the victim made a deal with a suspect identifying himself as Tan Teng Boo, who requested payment for the investment.

“The victim made two money transactions to the suspect’s account in May. He realised he had been scammed after not receiving the promised returns and being threatened for additional payments,” Mancha explained in a statement today.

In the second case, Mancha said a restaurant worker in her early 20s from Bintulu was scammed after being added to a WhatsApp group offering online part-time jobs.

“The victim contacted the group’s admin, who is the suspect, to register for the job, which involved liking and subscribing to a YouTube account for commission.

“After receiving a payment of RM500 for completing online tasks, the victim agreed to take on more tasks. In July, she made 23 transactions totaling RM108,000 to seven different bank accounts.

“She realised she had been scammed after not receiving any further payments,” Mancha added. — DayakDaily