KUANTAN: A couple lost RM348,500 of their life savings after falling victim to a bogus online investment scheme.
Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the victim, a 47-year-old unemployed man, received a call on April 17 this year from an individual claiming to be from a so-called 'Malacca Security Bank Investment'.
"The caller coaxed the victim into investing through an equity company named Pantheon Ventures, based in the United Kingdom. The victim was instructed to download the NEEQ application and was provided with online training on how to make investments using the system.
"The victim made 10 transactions amounting to RM348,500 into the bank account provided by the bogus investment agent between June 18 and Aug 10 this year. The victim realised he had been cheated when the agent demanded RM101,000 if he no longer wished to be part of the investment scheme," he said in a statement today.
Yahaya said the victim, who lodged a police report yesterday, had invested the savings belonging to him and his wife in the scheme.
He added that the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Yahaya urged the public to be cautious of calls from strangers offering investment schemes with huge profits and to always check https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my before making any online cash transactions.