malaysiang
KUALA LUMPUR: A former finance officer at a private company was left devastated after losing RM450,000 in savings due to being duped by a fraudulent investment scheme advertised on social media. The man, who only wished to be known as Ken Wong, 40, said he was drawn to the investment advertisement that promised high returns and offered guidance for profitable investments.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ken Wong admitted that despite his nearly decade-long experience in the investment world, his judgment was clouded by greed, which led him to click on the provided link and enter the chatroom. He was then persuaded to make an investment through an online platform and initially managed to withdraw a dividend of about RM5,000 as a ploy to convince him further.
Wong explained that while the online platform indicated that his investments were yielding profits, he was unable to withdraw these profits. Instead, the platform encouraged him to invest RM1.5 million in an initial public offering (IPO) of a foreign c
ompany, which ultimately made him realise he had fallen victim to a scam. He shared his experience at a press conference in Puchong today.
Wong recounted making 23 money transfer transactions into four different accounts belonging to various private limited companies since July. He eventually filed a police report in August after uncovering the scam orchestrated by the syndicate.
Meanwhile, Joseph Prakash, the founder of the Pertubuhan Kebajikan Integriti Persahabatan Nasional (PKIPN), called on authorities to take firm action against the growing issue of fraud. He suggested imposing restrictions on investment advertisements on social media, which are often used to lure unsuspecting victims.
Prakash highlighted that some scam victims are already retired and have submitted reports to the police and relevant agencies, providing evidence of the fraud. He added that PKIPN had received over 10 complaints from victims involved in the same investment scheme, with losses exceeding RM3 million.
