KUCHING – Tempted by online advertisements on social media, a man in his late 40s fell victim to a stock investment scam on a WhatsApp group that resulted in him losing about RM160,000.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri said the victim, a company manager in Bau, fell for an ad titled “HY Your Investing Friend Pembelajaran Stok Market” on Facebook in September.
“The victim’s phone number was added to a WhatsApp group called Stock Exchange Group, and someone named ‘Jerry’, claiming to be the company’s financial manager, guided the victim in stock market investments.
“Intrigued by the suspect’s explanation, the victim invested through a website known as https://ccfea.com,” he said in a statement yesterday.
The victim made five cash transactions amounting to about RM160,000 to two different companies’ bank accounts in October. He only realised he had been duped when he failed to withdraw the investment profit of RM20,000 after his account was frozen.
Azman said the suspect also instructed the victim to make additional payments, claiming it would facilitate the withdrawal of funds. The victim then filed a police report last Saturday (October 28).
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for fraud. – October 30, 2023