Three in Miri lose RM2,000 each to online scams

The Commercial Crime Investigation Division (CCID) here is currently investigating three online fraud cases involving losses amounting to RM6,000.

Miri police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu in a statement yesterday said police received three separate reports on fraud cases from the individuals on Monday.

“The first case involved a man in his 40s who had uploaded a post on his Facebook account with the intention to purchase a special series car registration plate number.

“The man’s ordeal started when he was contacted by a ‘seller’ via messenger who stated that the number he had requested was available at a price of RM2,000.

“The victim then made a payment of RM2,000 to a bank account as ordered by the alleged seller, and only realised that he was cheated after the ‘special series number’ was not found in the Road Transport Department (JPJ) Miri system,” he said.

For the second case, Alexson said it involved a man in his 20s who lost RM2,000 after striking a bogus deal to purchase Chinese Renminbi (RMB) from an online seller.

He said the victim was interested to purchase the foreign currency and agreed to have the money deposited in his Alipay e-Wallet once the transaction was completed.

“The victim only realised he had been scammed after he could no longer contact the seller, and thus lodged a police report.”

The third case involved a housewife in her 40s who lost RM2,000 after receiving a message through Facebook Messenger offering and selling gold at an incredibly low price.

“The housewife made five transactions to two different accounts amounting to RM2,000 and only realised she had been duped when she couldn’t contact the alleged seller after making the payment,” he said.

Alexson said all the three cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.