Married couple loses over RM1.6mil to investment scam

JASIN: A married couple, both of whom are directors of a woodcarving company, lost over RM1.6mil after falling prey to an investment scam on Facebook.

Jasin OCPD Deputy Supt Ahmad Jamil Radzi said the wife, 38, was contacted by three individuals on three different numbers after expressing interest in an investment scheme on Facebook.

“She was then added to three different investment-related Whatsapp groups, and was briefed about share investment seminars, tips on shares with potentials and notes about share investments.

“After being in the groups for two weeks, the woman and her husband, who is in his 40s, were ordered to leave the groups to undergo investment training in a new Whatsapp group in October,” he said in a statement here today, adding that they were then ordered to download several apps on Google Play store and to make fund transfers to 19 company accounts for share investments of over RM1.6mil in stages.

The couple had received returns of RM277,148 during that period before realising they had been scammed when they received a suspicious initial public offering (IPO) certificate from China that contained spelling errors and subsequently lodged a police report at the Jasin district police headquarters at 6.46pm on Nov 30, he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for fraud.- Bernama