Retiree loses RM200,000 in online contest scam

KUCHING: A woman in her 60s lost RM200,000 after being misled into believing she won an online contest.

Last month, the retiree received a message from a Facebook friend named ‘Aliana Soh,’ who falsely claimed the victim’s name was listed as a winner of the ‘United Nation & Facebook Programme.’

Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata said the victim selected a prize of USD100,000, and the suspect provided her an agent’s phone number for redemption.

“The woman then sent a WhatsApp message to the agent to redeem the prize money.

“However, the victim was asked to make various payments before she can redeem the prize.

“That led to a chain of events where the woman transferred a total of RM200,000 through 17 transactions into six bank accounts,” he said.

Mancha added that the victim realised she had been scammed when the agent prompted for an additional payment even when the promised USD100,000 prize was not delivered.

She reported the incident to the police and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.

If convicted, it carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years’ jail, caning, and fines.

In light of this, the public is advised to always be careful and not easily believe any too-good-to-be-true offers from unknown individuals.

“Don’t be greedy and blinded by the offer of winning money that has not yet been confirmed to be valid,” he said.