KUCHING: The Magistrates’ Court here fined a man RM500, in default 10 days in prison, for illegally possessing RM4,000 in his personal account linked to an online scam.
Broberg Hop Juan, 29, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Alwi to the charge under Section 37(1) of the Sarawak Minor Offenses Ordinance.
He was found to have illegally received RM4,000 into his personal account via an online transaction between 4pm and 6pm on Oct 23, 2022, at a house in Lorong Stampin Tengah.
The victim, a 49-year-old woman, had transferred the money as part of what she believed was a legitimate side job found on Facebook, known as Hu Suite Booking.
The job required her to make hotel reservations, and she communicated with the suspect via WhatsApp.
After completing the first two tasks, the victim received payments of RM41.80 and RM211.20 in her savings account. The victim later transferred money into two different accounts totalling RM13,776.
However, she never received the promised returns and subsequently lodged a police report.
Investigations found that RM4,000 of the victim’s money had been deposited into Broberg’s account in stages.
Broberg admitted that he had provided his ATM card and personal details to a man named Victor, who had rented the card for RM250 a month, facilitating the online scam.
ASP Arman Ibrahim prosecuted the case while Broberg was unrepresented by counsel.
