Man loses over RM400,000 after acquaintance promises refund, commission

JOHOR BARU: A man lost RM427,940 after being duped by an acquaintance into withdrawing money with a promise of a refund and a commission.

Seri Alam district police chief Supt Mohd Sohaimi Ishak said that the 45-year-old victim was introduced to a local man, who claimed that he had money amounting to RM25mil deposited into his bank account from abroad, in November 2021.

He said that the man then asked for the victim’s help to provide money to pay various costs, such as government taxes, to receive the purported money by promising a refund and a commission amounting to RM6mil.

“The victim was also shown some documents to convince him that the purported RM25mil did exist before transferring the money into four different accounts involving 98 transactions amounting to RM427,940, from December 2021 to June 2023.

“However, in July 2023, the man still asked the victim to make a payment, causing the latter to feel suspicious and demand the money back, but the man disappeared and failed to be contacted,” he said in a statement on Sunday (March 3).

Mohd Sohaimi said that the victim, believing that he had been cheated, lodged a report at the Seri Alam district police headquarters, yesterday.

“The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code, and the investigation will also cover the involvement of mule account holders if any,” he said. – Bernama