MIRI: A housewife was left RM50,000 poorer after falling prey to an online job scam that promises lucrative commissions.
The 30-something victim came across the opportunity on TikTok, where an advertisement offered commissions for completing simple tasks.
Miri police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said all she had to do was press the Follow and Like buttons on a TikTok page to qualify for the commission.
“After completing the tasks, the suspect manipulated the victim into making payments to a specified bank account after claiming that the commission payment through the e-wallet within the application was insufficient.
“Falling for the assurance that the commission would soon be paid, the woman transferred RM50,000 via eight transactions to a third-party bank account provided by the suspect.
“Realisation struck that she had been cheated when the promised commission did not materialise,” he said.
The victim reported the incident to the police last Saturday (Dec 16) and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
In light of this, Alexson urged the public to exercise caution when considering online job opportunities, especially those from social media platforms that promised commissions and immediate profits.