Varsity student conned of RM5,000 by fake Facebook job offer

A university student here was conned of RM5,000 by a fraudulent job offer she found on Facebook, which promised commission.

Miri police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said the Commercial Crime Investigation Division received a report from the woman in her 20s on Monday.

“The victim initially saw a parttime job advertisement online through Facebook and contacted the suspect on WhatsApp regarding the assignment.

“The task given was to make payments and raise the ‘rating’ of a product given by the suspect with the promise of commission,” he said in a media statement.

Alexson said the victim followed the instructions several times but, when trying to withdraw the commission, was given various excuses and asked for more payments.

In total, the victim made five transactions amounting to RM5,000 to three different bank accounts.

Police are investigating the case under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which provides for between one year and 10 years in prison and caning, and also liable to a fine upon conviction.

Alexson advised the public not to fall for suspicious job offers received over the phone, email, SMS, or any social media platform that promise high commissions and easy work in a short period of time. Victims should immediately contact the National Scam Response Centre on 997 if they have fallen victim to cyber fraud such as phone scams, love scams, e-commerce scams, and non-existent loans.

The public can check suspect’s phone numbers and bank accounts through Check Scammers CCID or through https://semakmule.rmp.gov. my/ before making any financial transactions.

Alternatively, look for the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK), Cyber Crime Alert Royal Malaysia Police, or JSJK Sarawak on Facebook for the latest fraud modus operandi.

The public can also contact the JSJK infoline via WhatsApp or SMS on 013-2111222 to get advice or channel information regarding online crime cases.