SIBU: A civil servant lost RM39,463 after falling victim to an online job scam that promised lucrative commissions.
The incident occurred in August this year when the woman, in her 40s, came across a part-time job advertisement on Facebook.
Interested in the offer, she contacted the number listed and began communicating with a woman known as ‘Zoe’ via WhatsApp.
Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili, in a statement, said the victim was told to complete simple tasks involving “like and submit” actions, for which she would receive a small commission.
“She was then told that to earn more commissions, she needed to make additional payments.
“Enticed by the promise of higher earnings, the victim transferred a total of RM39,463 to five different bank accounts.
“After completing the transfers, the suspect instructed her to send more money to secure the promised commissions. However, the victim soon realised she had been blocked by the suspect after all attempts to contact her failed,” he said.
Following this, the woman lodged a police report and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
Zulkipli urged the public to be cautious of job offers promising large returns or commissions through social media platforms.
“Always verify such offers by conducting thorough checks with the relevant companies or agencies before proceeding,” he said.
For further assistance or information, the public can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997, or follow the Facebook pages of @cybercrimealertrmp and @jsjkpdrm.
Suspicious bank accounts or phone numbers can also be verified via http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/.
