MIRI: A civil servant claimed he was cheated of RM31,000 in an online purchase deal for a drone.
The 20-year-old man was said to have been deceived when he wanted to buy a DJI Mini II drone which was offered at RM550 by an Instagram account owner using the profile name Bm-Elektonik7.
Sarawak Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Supt Maria Rasid said apart from the price of the drone, the victim was instructed to make several other payments including advance payment guarantee, and Customs clearance fee amounting to RM31,000 between July 26 and 28.
“The payments were made to five different accounts through 10 transactions and the victim was assured that the money would be refunded. The victim realised that he had been deceived after he failed to contact the suspect after that,“ said Maria in a statement here today.
She urged the public to always be cautious when purchasing goods or services on social media and to deal only through legitimate e-commerce platforms.
Members of the public could also contact the Commercial Crime Investigation Department Resource Centre at 03-2610 1559 and 03-2610 1599 or the Commercial Crime Investigation Department Infoline at 013-211 1222 (whatsapp/sms) for advice or information on online scams. — Bernama
