Local celebrity Winnie K loses RM380,000 in fake ‘Datuk’ scam

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian female celebrity became RM380,000 poorer after being deceived by a man who claimed to be a ‘Datuk’ and offered her a position as an exclusive brand ambassador for a luxury property project.

Sharing her story, the victim, Winnie Kok, better known as Winnie K, said she met the man, who introduced himself as “Datuk A” and a property developer, through a close friend in September 2023.

“My friend told me that Datuk A was looking for an exclusive brand ambassador for his company’s property project and I was a good fit.”

“She introduced me to him and we subsequently initiated a discussion through WeChat.”

“He showed me his upcoming project and prospects, which my friend had previously told me.”

“Upon negotiation, he even promised to make me an exclusive ambassador with a payment between RM800,000 to RM1mil for a one-year contract,” Kok said when met at a press conference at Wisma MCA on Thursday (Oct 9).

Kok said she felt convinced about the job offer as it was introduced to her by a long-time good friend.

She said Datuk A and her had a meeting after he returned from China in late Sept 2023, where he asked her for help.

“He showed me his WeChat e-wallet balance which showed a huge amount of money as an assurance.”

“He said he was unable to use the money in Malaysia and had to rely only on credit card, and hoped that I could transfer some money to start implementing the project.”

Kok said she was hesitant at first, as the money was meant for her mother’s medical expenses.

“I told him I was not comfortable, because it was my hard-earned money meant for my mother, who has dementia.”

“But Datuk A was very convincing, he said he would return the money in two to three days’ time once he cashed out.”

“I believed in him and transferred him RM30,000 in the first payment,” she said.

Kok noted that she had altogether transferred Datuk A some RM380,000 in a span of two weeks, before he became unreachable.

“After all the money was given, he just disappeared,” she said, adding that she lodged a police report and has not seen the man since.

Kok noted that the incident left her stressed and mentally disturbed because the money was the result of her hard work in the entertainment industry.

“I felt mentally unstable and got stressed out because I lost all my hard-earned money.”

“It took me years to finally feel better to open up about this incident,” sobbed Kok, who did not even tell her family.

“I came out here today to share my story and raise awareness, so that other artists can be alert and be more careful when accepting job offers.”

“I know there are other artists involved in similar scams.”

“I hope they will come forward,” she said.

Also present at the press conference were the victim’s lawyer Esther Hor, the Malaysian Association of Arts, Live Events, Concerts and Festivals president Datuk Alan Foo and several Malaysian artists who turned up in solidary of Kok.

Meanwhile, MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said the department has received many similar complaints from victims who were mainly women since last year.

“They were deceived by individuals with a likely fake ‘Datuk’ title who supposedly wanted to establish business partnerships.”

“We at MCA, through our panel of lawyers and advisors, are ready to assist any individuals who fall victim to such crimes, including legal and emotional support.”

“I urge all of these victims to come forward, don’t despair or take rash actions,” he added.