KUCHING: A businessman in his 30s has lost more than RM89,000 after trying to procure survey instruments for what he believed was a government project, only to discover it was a scam.
Miri district police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said the victim had been approached by an individual claiming to be an officer from the Sarawak Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT).
“The individual instructed the victim to procure survey instruments from a company called M.N Seven Trading. However, after making the payment, the company’s agent became uncontactable,” he said in a statement today.
The businessman only realised he had been deceived after verifying with KPKT, which confirmed that no such procurement had been made.
In a separate case, a local woman in her 40s lost more than RM78,000 to a fraudulent job offer.
Alexson said she had been promised commission returns of 10 to 20 per cent for booking hotel reservations through a job offer received via WhatsApp.
“She made several bank transfers but never received the promised commission, resulting in a total loss of RM78,823,” Alexson said.
Both cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which carries between one- and ten-years imprisonment, with a fine and caning, upon conviction.
