Technician duped by online investment scheme, loses over RM900,000

JOHOR BAHRU: A technician with an oil exploration company claimed to have lost RM908,305 after falling victim to an online investment scheme in August.

Johor police chief M Kumar said that while the victim was at work in Iraq, he received a WhatsApp message from an individual offering an investment scheme promising high returns within an hour.

Enticed by the promised profits, he said the victim downloaded an application as instructed and registered for the scheme.

“The victim then participated in an online class via a provided link, which explained the trading process and potential returns.

“The victim subsequently made multiple payments to several different bank accounts as instructed, totalling RM908,305. The transactions were carried out between mid-September and this month while he was in Kota Tinggi,” he said in a statement today.

Kumar said that after completing the payments, the victim noticed the app showed an accumulated profit of RM8 million.

“However, when he attempted to withdraw his earnings, he was told to pay RM100,000 deposit. The victim refused and believed he had been scammed. He lodged a police report yesterday,” he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.