DALAT,5 June: An engineer, who was looking for online side hustle, was left RM150,000 poorer after he fell victim to a job scam disguised as an international product sales opportunity.
The incident happened in mid-April when the man, in his 30s, had browsed a website — https://www.eprice-better.com — which sold various foreign products and expressed interest in becoming an agent for those international items.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata said the victim, attracted by the offer, registered as an agent and communicated with the site’s so-called customer service representative, who is the scam suspect, via WhatsApp.
“Deceived by the promised commission from product sales, the man transferred a sum of RM150,000 via several transactions to accounts provided by the suspect.
“Red flags began to surface when the victim tried to withdraw his earnings, only to be met with endless excuses and demands for additional payments before the commission could be released.
“It was then he realised he had been conned,” he said.
Mancha said the victim has since lodged a police report for further investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
He reminded members of the public not to be taken in by flashy online job offers that promise big payouts with minimal effort.
For further advice or to report scams, the public can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997, and follow the Facebook pages of @CyberCrimeAlertRMP and @JSJKPDRM for the latest updates on scams.
The incident happened in mid-April when the man, in his 30s, had browsed a website — https://www.eprice-better.com — which sold various foreign products and expressed interest in becoming an agent for those international items.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata said the victim, attracted by the offer, registered as an agent and communicated with the site’s so-called customer service representative, who is the scam suspect, via WhatsApp.
“Deceived by the promised commission from product sales, the man transferred a sum of RM150,000 via several transactions to accounts provided by the suspect.
“Red flags began to surface when the victim tried to withdraw his earnings, only to be met with endless excuses and demands for additional payments before the commission could be released.
“It was then he realised he had been conned,” he said.
Mancha said the victim has since lodged a police report for further investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
He reminded members of the public not to be taken in by flashy online job offers that promise big payouts with minimal effort.
For further advice or to report scams, the public can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997, and follow the Facebook pages of @CyberCrimeAlertRMP and @JSJKPDRM for the latest updates on scams.