KUALA LUMPUR: A private sector retiree incurred a loss of RM15.1 million after being deceived by an acquaintance into investing in a fraudulent share scheme.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) acting director, Datuk Rohaimi Md Isa, said the 77-year-old woman filed a report at the Brickfields District police headquarters on April 14.
He said the victim claimed she was introduced to the main suspect, a businessman, who offered her shares in a local company as an investment opportunity.
“The suspect convinced her to purchase the shares through him, assuring that he would hold them in trust on her behalf.
“He also introduced the victim to another individual, who was supposedly the purchasing agent,” he told reporters after the CCID Hari Raya gathering here today.
Rohaimi said the victim was shown several documents related to the investment, which increased her confidence and led her to proceed with the payments.
She made payments via cash cheques, cash deposits and bank transfers totalling RM15.1 million between 2020 and 2021 to three individuals, including the main suspect.
“In 2021, the victim began requesting that the shares be transferred to her along with proof of purchase. However, both suspects kept delaying and giving excuses,” he said.
Investigations later revealed that some of the documents shown to the victim had been fabricated by the second suspect.
“Several screenshots of WhatsApp conversations allegedly between the first suspect and a prominent individual regarding the share purchase were actually exchanges between the two suspects themselves,” he added.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
