Student loses RM17,343 in online scam

SIBU: A student in his 20s embarked on what seemed like a promising part-time job opportunity, only to find himself parting with his hard-earned savings of RM17,343.
Sibu OCPD ACP Zulkipli Suhaili said the victim was contacted by the suspect who introduced himself as ‘Lam Keke’ on Nov 15.
“Intrigued by the job offer, the victim contacted the suspect through the WhatsApp application.
“The suspect provided a link to a product called Ynap Singapore and instructed the victim to complete tasks, including capturing screenshots of the desired items,” he said in a statement on Monday (Nov 20).
ACP Zulkipli said that for each task, the victim was required to make payments for the goods into an account provided by the suspect.
“For the first task, the victim received a commission of RM8.15, which was deposited into the victim’s bank account.
“Subsequently, the victim completed several similar tasks, making payments and being promised that the payment amounts would be refunded along with the commissions.”
Enthusiastic about the prospect, the victim made online payments for five transactions totalling RM17,343 to two different bank accounts between Nov 18 and 19.
“However, by the time of reporting, the victim had not received any of the promised commissions and realised he had been deceived.”
ACP Zulkipli said that the case is now under investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which pertains to cheating.
In light of this incident, the public have been urged to exercise caution and skepticism when encountering lucrative job offers on social media platforms.
“People are advised to thoroughly investigate and verify the backgrounds of companies or agencies before committing to any job offers.”
Individuals can use the online verification service provided by the CCID through their website, http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/, to verify suspicious bank accounts and phone numbers.
For further guidance and information, the public can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 and follow the official Facebook pages of @CyberCrimeAlertRMP and @JSJKPDRM.