MIRI: Three fraud cases involving non-existent loans and online purchases, with total losses exceeding RM36,000 have been reported to the police here.
District Police Chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said reports were filed on Oct 31, with each case involving online scams targeting local residents.
The first involved a local woman in her 40s who came across an advertisement offering a loan on a social media platform.
The advertisement, allegedly linked to a local bank, prompted her to initiate contact with a person posing as a loan provider.
Believing the scheme to be legitimate, she proceeded to make an initial transfer of RM11,400 in multiple installments via online banking.
However, despite the payment, the woman was asked to transfer additional funds, which led her to realise she had fallen victim to a scam.
The second case involved another woman in her 40s who responded to a Facebook advertisement for a used Toyota Hilux.
After negotiating the purchase, she made payments to three different accounts provided by the suspect.
These payments were completed through both online transfers and a cash deposit machine (CDM).
Suspicion arose when she was asked for additional payments for a supposed parking summons.
Ultimately, she realised the deal was fraudulent, resulting in a financial loss of RM11,000.
The third case involved a young woman in her 20s who was attracted to a Facebook advertisement promoting gold bars.
The woman contacted the seller through WhatsApp and agreed to make two payments for the purchase, one of which was made while she was in Brunei.
After completing the payments, totalling approximately RM14,000, she received a package that turned out to contain only stationery items, exposing the deception.
All three cases are currently being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
