KUALA LUMPUR: A Hong Kong woman fell victim to an Internet scam when an individual, who agreed to purchase a luxury watch from her, made a fraudulent transaction.
In a press conference here today, Lau Ha Ying, 47, said she mailed her second-hand Rolex watch from Hong Kong to an address in Kota Damansara, Selangor after being told she had been paid.
She said the buyer, who went by the name Alberta Robert, had emailed her a receipt of the transaction from Barclays Bank to her Bank of China account.
Lau said she was convinced that the buyer had transferred HK$68,300 (RM37,290) to her bank account. She had earlier put up the watch for sale on online shopping application Carousell.
“Later, I received a call from an individual claiming that to be a Barclays Bank officer on Aug 19.
“He asked me to mail the watch, saying the bank would release the money to me after Alberta received the item,” Lau said when met at MCA's Public Services and Complaints Department at Wisma MCA here.
She said the watch was mailed to the said address on Aug 21. Lau added that she checked the delivery status the next day, which showed that the buyer had received the watch.
“I couldn't reach Alberta on the phone after that,” she said, adding that she has yet to receive any money.
Lau said she bought the watch three years ago at the price of HK$367,000 (RM200,000)
Lau, who is currently in the country for work, had lodged a police report at Dang Wangi district police headquarters on Monday.
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong advised people to be cautious when making online transactions.
He said this year, the department had received six complaints related to Internet fraud.