GEORGE TOWN: The public have been urged to be wary of online durian deals, believed to be masterminded by a scam syndicate in the state.
The northeast district police, in a Facebook posting, said cheating cases involving online durian sales began to increase ahead of the upcoming durian season.
Police said members of the syndicate will advertise the sales of durians at cheap prices on social media such as Facebook and Instagram.
"Victims, who are interested in the advertisement, will deal with members of the syndicate through WhatsApp application based on the phone number listed on the advertisement.
"The victims will then be instructed to click on the link provided and download the 'D4 Durian' app to make the payment.
"When victims clicked on the link, it will bring them to a page resembling 'FPX Transaction' and as soon as the victims enter the username and password, the payment system will be disrupted," it said.
The northeast district police said the victims would then receive a message from the bank about money transfers from their accounts to a third party in an amount higher than the purchase price.
"The public are advised not to download any application that they are unsure of.
"In addition, we also advise the public not to simply disclose their usernames, passwords or any banking information to third parties," it added.