SIBU: A motor oil salesman lost RM94,247 poorer after falling victim to a cryptocurrency investment scam.
The incident happened on Aug 16 last year when the 40-something man came across an advertisement for Accerx investment on Facebook.
Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili said that the man clicked on the link, which prompted his name to be added to the Accerx investment WhatsApp group, managed by a suspect identified as David.
The suspect then provided an explanation of the investment opportunity, convincing the victim to invest in crypto shares.
“The victim made five investment payments totalling RM94,247 into five different bank accounts of local companies provided by the suspect, between November last year and January this year.
“Once the payments were made, the victim checked the Accerx app and found that his accumulated profit reached USD721,922.93 (RM3,407,476.22).
“However, the grim reality unfolded when the victim discovered he could not withdraw the accumulated profits from the crypto share investment,” he said.
Realising that he had been cheated, the man reported the incident to the police on Jan 29 and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
As a cautionary measure, Zulkipli urged the public to verify the legitimacy of online investments to prevent falling prey to fraudulent schemes.
He also advised the public to exercise caution when approached with offers of high profits or returns and to cross-check investment status with Bank Negara Malaysia and the Malaysian Securities Commission.
For further guidance or information, the public can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 and follow the Facebook pages of @CyberCrimeAlertRMP and @JSJKPDRM.
Zulkipli said verifications of suspicious bank accounts and phone numbers can also be conducted through http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/.
