Kuching man loses RM40,500 to a fake lawyer

SIBU: A man in Kuching lost RM40,500 after he was made to believe he could recover RM60,000 from a previous gold investment scheme.

Special Assistant to Stampin MP, Michael Kong said on Thursday (March 7) that the victim, who only wanted to be known as Bong, had sought his assistance in verifying the identity and credentials of a man named “Mark,” who was purported to be a lawyer based in Singapore.

“Bong had been led to believe that ‘Mark’ could recover the RM60,000 he lost in a previous gold investment scheme.

“To facilitate the recovery of the RM60,000 he was asked to open an account on an internet platform and deposit RM40,500,” said Kong.

However, after the deposit was made, ‘Mark’ then requested an additional RM120,000 to make some adjustments to the deposit account.

“This made the victim suspicious, and he came to seek my advice on whether to proceed with the deposit,” said Kong.

However, upon conducting checks, it became evident to Kong that “Mark” was a scammer, so Bong was advised to file a proceeding report.