JOHOR BARU: An unemployed woman lost RM380,000 over a period of a year after befriending a man who claimed to live in the United States through Facebook.
The victim, who wanted to be known only as Lee, said she met the man known as Kenneth Cheung through Facebook in October last year.
“After several weeks, Kenneth told me that he wanted to send me gifts in the form of jewellery, watches, lingerie and handphones worth a total of RM800 million.
“I was then contacted by a man claiming to be a custom agent who said the items had been confiscated and Kenneth had been arrested by the Immigration Department,” said Lee, 50.
She said the agent told her to make a series of payments in order to release the items and free Kenneth, whom she had never met face to face and had contacted only through video calls.
“In December last year, I lodged a police after I failed to get the items despite making the payments.”
However, Lee still believed that Kenneth was a genuine person and that she was being cheated by the “customs agent” who continued to demand payments from her.
Over a period of one year, Lee made a total of RM380,000 in payments through numerous bank accounts.
She sold her house in Masai for RM230,000 and borrowed from family members to make the payments.
Lee spoke to the media after seeking help from Stulang assemblyman Andrew Chen.
She also lodged another report at the Larkin police station over the matter.
Chen, meanwhile, urged the public to be careful when meeting strangers online who offered to give gifts.
“If you know your family members who might have fallen victim to these scams, help them to come forward and report to the authorities.
“In Lee’s case, we have provided the police with details of the accounts so that they can investigate,” said Chen.