SIBU: A ship mechanic lost RM17,220 after falling victim to a fake luxury car sale advertisement on Facebook.
The incident happened on June 7 when the man, in his 70s, came across an advertisement offering a Toyota Alphard for RM60,000.
Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili said the victim later communicated with the suspect named Sam Low on WhatsApp about the vehicle.
“In order to speed up the purchasing process, the victim was required to make several payments into an account provided by the suspect.
“The victim later transferred a sum of RM17,220 into two accounts between June 8 and 15.
“After making the payment, the suspect demanded an additional RM3,500 from the victim,” he said in a statement.
However, the man became suspicious of the request and realised he had been cheated.
The victim reported the incident to the police and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
Following this, ACP Zulkipli advised the public not to be easily fooled and to only make online transactions through legitimate sales platforms.
“Do not make payments into a bank account that is under a different individual from the seller,” he said.
For guidance or additional information, the public can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 or visit the Facebook pages @CyberCrimeAlertRMP and @JSJKPDRM.
Additionally, it is advisable to verify bank accounts and phone numbers through the Semak Mule website – http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/
