KUCHING: Sarawak Police Commissioner, Dato Mancha Ata, confirmed that two police reports have been received involving online investment fraud cases in Padawan and Miri.
In the first case, a local woman in her 60s, who works as a trader in Padawan, lodged a report after falling victim to a fake online investment scheme.
He said according to the victim, she came across an investment advertisement by an alleged international company while browsing Facebook in mid-February and was attracted by the promise of high returns within a short period so she contacted the administrator of the investment group and was instructed to download an application called “Mycdtl” to begin investing.
Over time, the victim made several online transactions to a bank account provided by the suspect, amounting to approximately RM250,000.
She only realized she had been scammed when attempts to withdraw her profits failed. Instead, she was instructed to make additional payments before she could access her so-called investment returns.
In the second case reported in Miri, a woman in her 50s who is employed in the private sector, also became a victim of a similar scam.
In mid-April 2025, she clicked on a link for free reading materials while browsing Instagram and was added to a WhatsApp group called “Popular Books 90.”
She was then contacted by an individual from the group believed to be the suspect who tried to persuade her to invest in a scheme promising high profits in a short time.
The victim proceeded to communicate with the group administrator via WhatsApp and made several online transfers amounting to around RM110,000 into a bank account provided by the suspect.
The victim realized she had been deceived after she failed to receive any returns and lodged a police report.
Mancha urged the public to remain vigilant and cautious when dealing with investment schemes, especially those encountered online.
By Connie Chieng