Beware & Protect Yourself 08 (Feb 24 - Dec 25)

[winston]

Elderly company director loses RM1.4mil to online trading scam

By IVAN LOH

The man had on April 15 received a call from an unknown woman offering him to be a business partner who buys products from foreign companies.

"Having supposedly checked the status of the company, which he found to be operating since 1989, he agreed to take part.

"He was asked to download a mobile app SHV Shop that sells luxurious branded items".

"If someone wants to buy a product, the man would need to pay for it up front and he would get 30% in commission".

His first transaction of about RM22,122 was made through a cash deposit machine to a bank account of said company.

"Having received the return, he trusted the company and conducted online and over-the-counter transactions of about RM1.4mil into six different bank accounts.

Source: The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/ ... ading-scam

[winston]

Teacher loses RM23,000 to phone scam

The 26-year-old teacher received a phone call from an individual introducing himself as a Touch ‘n Go officer at 12.21pm while she was at school, informing her that her Touch ‘n Go had been used to steal money from someone else's account.

Then, the call was supposedly connected to the authorities (namely) from the Penang police contingent headquarters (IPK), who claimed that the teacher was involved in money laundering and drug smuggling crimes.

The teacher was asked to transfer money to a bank account given by the suspect totalling RM23,000 in a single transaction to avoid having her bank account frozen. The teacher made the money transfer transaction on the same day.

Source: The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/ ... phone-scam

[behappyalways]

虽然家里遭小偷盯上 男子却被标签穷到没钱偷 | 新闻报报看 01/06/2025
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PY5XAZBEL0E

[winston]

Retiree swindled for sperm

By JUSTIN ZACK

Having ignored warnings from the bank and police, a retiree lost RM161,000 after being lured by an online scam to become a sperm donor for a supposedly beautiful woman in Hong Kong.

The 57-year-old saw an advertisement on social media stating that the woman wanted to bear a child and that there would be a reward of HK$2mil (RM1.08mil) for the man chosen.

Source: The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/ ... -for-sperm

[winston]

This is the phishing scam that gets an identity theft expert in the US 'really, very angry'

All three threats target key parts of people’s digital lives:
1. Email attachments that lead to fake login pages
2. Multi-factor authentication trickery and
3. Deceptive calendar invites.

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune/Tribune News Service

https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-ne ... e=smartech

[winston]

Four charged in Singapore after ‘blessing’ scam leaves victim empty-handed — and holding a bag of leaves

Four Chinese nationals have been charged in court in Singapore for allegedly orchestrating a scam that saw victims deceived into handing over cash and jewellery for so-called religious blessing rituals.

Huang Meiling asked the victim for directions to a Chinese physician.

Zhong Weifeng then stepped in, claiming to know one.

Zhong reportedly told the victim that the physician could only consult outside her premises due to overcrowding and asked the victim to pose as a relative.

The two then led her to Huang Qinyan, who allegedly posed as the physician and told the victim she was “experiencing misfortune due to negative spiritual elements.

The three women arranged to meet the victim at Hong Lim Park, where she was persuaded to hand over S$700 (RM2,300) in cash and a gold necklace with a “Guan Yin” pendant.

Huang Qinyan is said to have placed the items in a black plastic bag and performed a blessing ritual, before instructing the victim to store the bag unopened under her bed for a month.

When the victim opened the bag the next day, she found only leaves inside.

Source: Malay Mail

https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapor ... ves/179514

[winston]

Housewife loses over RM500,000 to investment scam

The victim was introduced by her neighbour to the scheme, which promised high returns in a short period in 2022, before introducing the victim to another woman who posed as a marketing officer.

The victim then joined the investment and made 51 cash transactions into five different bank accounts from March 4, 2022 to Jan 22, 2024 totalling RM521,450, before realising she had been scammed after the suspect kept giving excuses whenever she wanted to withdraw her profits.

Source: The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/ ... tment-scam

[winston]

Penang pensioner loses over RM800,000 to online investment scam

By IMRAN HILMY

The victim was deceived in an online investment scam involving a company known as Freeman Ltd, resulting in a total loss of RM827,120.

Comm Hamzah said the victim revealed that in early April 2025, he came across an investment advertisement on the social media application promising high returns.

He said the victim then began communicating with a suspect, a woman, through the WhatsApp application.

Comm Hamzah said the investment offered promised a return of 7% for each capital invested within a short period of time.

Enticed by the offer, the victim was instructed to download the Freeman Ltd. application, register as a member, and make investments through the platform.

Source: The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/ ... tment-scam

[winston]

Manager loses over RM1.7 mil in share investment scam

Johor police chief Datuk M Kumar said a company manager lost more than RM1.7 million after falling victim to a share investment scam via WhatsApp.

Johor police chief CP Datuk M Kumar said the victim, a private company manager, lodged a report on June 12 claiming that his phone number had been added to a WhatsApp group named "C-10 Freeman Saham 17" in April.

“The victim was promised daily returns of 5% to 10% based on market share prices and his investment amount. Enticed by the offer, he made 12 fund transfers between April 16 and May 30 to five different bank accounts, totalling RM1,772,603,” he said in a statement on Monday night.

“The public is also advised to verify such offers with relevant authorities such as the Royal Malaysian Police, Bank Negara Malaysia, and the Securities Commission to ensure their legitimacy.

“In addition, use the Semak Mule service to check the status of bank accounts and phone numbers before proceeding with any payments,” he added.

Source: Bernama

[winston]

RM100k goes missing from retired teacher's bank account

The 56-year-old man realised that the money in his bank account had decreased when he attempted to make a withdrawal at a bank branch

The victim was shocked to find that his account balance was only RM130,015.18, whereas the last known balance was over RM245,000.

Source: The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/ ... nk-account