KUANTAN: A retiree has lodged a police report claiming he lost RM53,500 after he was scammed in a non-existent bitcoin investment venture since three years ago.
Pahang Commercial Crime Investigation Department Head Supt Mohd Wazir Mohd Yusof said the victim, 60, claimed he made the investment through a man who was introduced to him by a friend in mid 2017.
The suspect allegedly told him the investment would take about a year before showing profits in American dollars which would be deposited into the victim’s crypto account.
“The victim said he was attracted to the offer and on Nov 28, 2017, transferred RM26,500 from his savings account into the suspect’s account, followed by a second transaction on Jan 24, 2018, for RM27,000.
“However, the victim said up till now, he had not seen any profits, which made him feel he had been cheated, especially when he could no longer contact the suspect,” Mohd Wazir told reporters here today.
He added that the victim lodged a report at the Temerloh District Police Headquarters about 123 kilometres from here yesterday, and investigations are being conducted under Section 420 of the Penal Code which provides for a jail sentence of up to 10 years and caning, and can be fined, if convicted.
In a separate case, a 19-year-old male student lodged a report at the same police station, claiming that he lost RM1,150 after he was cheated in a deal to buy an iPhone 11 smartphone which was reportedly sold cheaply on Instagram.
Mohd Wazir said the victim claimed he saw an advertisement on July 2 that the smartphone was priced at only RM650 and he sent a WhatsApp to a number in the advertisement.
“The victim said he dealt with a female suspect who told him to make payment in three transactions into an account, but the victim never received the goods as agreed,” he said. — Bernama
