Housewife Loses RM160,000 To Non-existent Investment Scam

KUANTAN, Jan 8 (Bernama) -- A housewife lost RM160,000 after falling victim to a non-existent investment scheme, last month.

Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the 67-year-old victim was initially drawn to the scheme after encountering an advertisement on YouTube, on Dec 8, 2024.

He explained that the woman was promised lucrative returns, including daily profits, for her investments.

“Enticed by the offer, the victim transferred a total of RM160,000 from her savings, in three transactions to two bank accounts provided by the suspect,” he said in a statement, today.

The scam was uncovered when the suspect demanded additional payments to redeem purported profits, amounting to RM500,000, prompting the victim to realise she had been duped.

In a separate case, Yahaya said a 57-year-old housewife claimed to have lost RM137,500 after allegedly being hypnotised by three unknown women, who approached her yesterday and inquired about the home address of an unfamiliar individual.

He explained that the victim was then coerced into handing over her jewellery and withdrawing her savings from both her home and the bank.

“The woman only realised she may have been hypnotised after returning home,” he said.

Yahaya added that both housewives had lodged reports at the Kuantan district police headquarters, yesterday, and the cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for fraud.

-- BERNAMA