GERIK: A trader's desire to own a luxury car ended in misfortune when he was deceived by a scammer.
Perak police chief, Datuk Azizi Mat Aris, said police received a report from the 53-year-old victim from Gerik on Aug 6, who claimed to have been deceived and scammed in a deal to buy a Mercedes Benz offered through Facebook.
"On April 15, the victim saw an advertisement for a Mercedes Benz GLA 200 AMG Sport 4MATIC 1.3A on Facebook, and clicked on the WhatsApp link provided.
"The victim contacted the suspect, who introduced himself as a salesman at a car dealership in Selangor.
"The victim was offered the car at a selling price of RM 113,000, with a monthly instalment of RM1,328.80. He was also told that he had won a lucky draw prize, which was an iPad," he said in a statement today.
Azizi said the victim, who fell for the offer, made a registration payment of RM2,680 into the bank account provided by the suspect, who promised to deliver the car to the victim on April 19.
"Between April 17 and July 25, the victim made 32 payments to nine bank accounts, totalling RM144,920 for various purposes, including insurance, road tax, approved permit, import duties, account activation, sales and purchase agreement, and stamp duty.
"However, the suspect continued to demand further payment of RM20,000 from the victim for the expired sales and purchase agreement, and stamp duty.
"The victim began to feel suspicious and thought that the purchase process was too complicated and difficult. This prompted him to lodge the police report," he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Azizi advised the public to exercise caution when making purchases, and to not trust advertisements offering unusually low, or special prices, unless their authenticity could be verified.
"Buyers should visit car dealerships in person to view the vehicles for sale, and to discuss directly with legitimate sales agents.
"They can also verify bank accounts, and phone numbers in advance through the Semakmule portal to identify accounts involved in fraud," he said.