Two victims in Kuala Terengganu lost RM162,485 to part-time job scams on social media, with police investigating under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
KUALA TERENGGANU: A retired bank officer and a clinic clerk lost a combined RM162,485 after falling victim to part-time job scams promoted on social media.
Kuala Terengganu district police chief ACP Azli Mohd Noor said the 57-year-old former bank officer saw an advertisement for a sales agent on Facebook on 5 January.
The victim clicked the provided link and received a WhatsApp message from the suspect.
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He was added to a WhatsApp group named ‘AurionVilla’ and taught how to complete tasks involving hotel bookings via an online platform.
After registering, the victim was required to make 90 hotel bookings daily using his own money with a promised commission for each task.
Azli said the victim was initially delighted after earning a RM4,000 profit from several completed tasks.
He then made larger bookings hoping for higher returns.
The victim lodged a police report at 1.39 pm on 12 January after failing to receive the promised profits.
In the second case, a 54-year-old female clinic clerk lost all her savings amounting to RM70,935 to a similar syndicate.
Azli said the victim received Tupperware product gifts from an unknown individual on 1 January before being offered a part-time job.
The job involved liking and sharing social media posts for lucrative commissions.
After completing 20 tasks, the victim was paid a commission.
The suspect then offered higher commissions on the condition the victim make upfront payments for further tasks.
The victim accepted and made 17 payments via cash deposits and online transactions but failed to receive the promised commissions.
She lodged a police report after the suspect continued to pressure her for more payments using various excuses.
The cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code. – Bernama
