SIBU: A 65-year-old local man here has lodged a police report after losing RM37,000 to a syndicate offering a non-existent investment package through the Telegram application.
Sibu Police Chief, ACP Zulkipli Suhaili in a statement Monday (Oct 24) said that the victim received a message through the Telegram application from an unknown number offering two types of investment, namely Octa Fx Asia and Octa Fx Syariah on Sept 27.
“The victim thoughtlessly agreed to participate in the Octa Fx Syariah investment through a capital investment package of RM7,000 that promised a profitable return of RM140,000.
“On Sept 28, the victim made payment with an investment capital of RM7,000 to an account given through a cash deposit machine located at CIMB Kg Datu, here.
“Excited by the promised profit, the victim again increased the investment capital by making a payment of RM1,000 on Oct 19 to add a profit of RM15,000,” he said.
The victim later was asked to make three more payments of RM20,000, RM5,000, and RM4,000 on Oct 20 to redeem the investment gift.
“The victim began to feel suspicious of the investment he participated in when he was often asked to make payments but never received the profit as promised, causing him to finally come forward to file a police report on Oct 22,” he said.
Hence, Zulkipli advised people to always be wary of investment schemes that promise unreasonable and suspicious returns.
“In an effort to combat investment fraud, people must pay attention and perform more detailed checks before participating in any investment, especially those that promise lucrative profits.
“Get more information from official sources such as Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the Securities Commission (SC), and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs before deciding to participate in any investment scheme and take appropriate preventive measures to avoid becoming a victim of such fraudulent activities,” he said.
Any inquiries and questions related to a commercial crime can be referred to the CCID Scam Response Centre at 03-26101559 or 03-26101599 follow the Facebook page @CyberCrimeAlertRMP @JSJKPDRM.
The public can also check the verification of bank accounts and phone numbers that are in doubt via the website http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/
