Former Engineer Loses RM9.47 Million In Crypto Scam Promising 50-Fold Returns
The victim was lured through an ad on social media.
By Sukhbir Cheema — 16 Jan 2025, 05:00 PM
A 63-year-old former engineer has fallen victim to a cryptocurrency scam, losing RM9.47 million after being promised extraordinary returns
According Bernama, Johor police chief Datuk M Kumar said the victim first encountered the fraudulent scheme via a social media ad in July 2024.
Drawn in by claims of a 50-fold return, he followed a link to a WhatsApp group where two individuals convinced him to invest.
Between October and December, the retiree transferred funds in 29 separate transactions to 11 bank accounts, totalling RM9.47 million
In an attempt to further secure his trust, the scammers fabricated a fictitious profit of RM88 million.
However, when the victim tried to withdraw the supposed earnings, he was asked to pay an additional RM800,000.
Suspicions arose when the perpetrators became unreachable, prompting the victim to report the case to the police.
Investigations are ongoing under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which deals with cheating and fraud
According to trust tech company Gogolook, Malaysians lost a total of USD12.8 billion (RM54 billion) to scams in 2024.
The amount is equivalent to 3% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
According to Bernama, the tech company cited statistics from the 2024 State of Scam Report, which provides insight into Malaysia's ongoing battle against scams.
With social media platforms like Meta removing its third-party fact-checking programme and shifting to a Community Notes model, expect more scams online.
