Jasin: A lecturer suffered losses totalling RM914,758 after being duped by a fake investment scheme advertised on social media. Jasin police chief Supt Lee Robert reported that the 40-year-old married woman became interested in an offer to learn stock trading via an application and clicked on the advertisement link on July 28.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the victim got in touch with the suspect through WhatsApp and was persuaded to join an investment scheme, which allegedly promised profits within two to five minutes. The victim was instructed to download an application using a link provided by the suspect for registration.

From September 1 to October 18, the victim made 20 transactions into nine different bank accounts as directed by the suspect. She used her savings, bank loans, and money borrowed from family members to make these payments. Later, she was asked to pay an additional RM20,000 as a quarterly fee before she could withdraw the supposed profits, leading her to realise she had been scammed. Consequently, she lodged a report at the Jasin Police Station on November 23.

Lee stated that the police are scrutinising all the bank accounts involved, with the case being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. He urged the public to remain vigilant and conduct proper checks before joining any investment scheme, especially those promising unrealistic returns.

'The use of personal bank accounts to receive investment funds is one of the early warning signs that the scheme is suspicious,' Lee added. He also advised the public to verify dubious phone numbers, bank accounts, or company names via the semakmule.rmp.gov.my portal before making any transactions.

Furthermore, Lee urged victims to call the National Scam Response Centre at 997 within 24 hours to improve the chances of blocking any fund transfers.