MIRI (Dec 3): A housewife in her 50s has become the latest victim of a cunning online scam, losing RM130,000 after responding to a part-time job advertisement on TikTok last month.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata revealed that the victim stumbled upon the ad while browsing TikTok at home early last month. Intrigued by the opportunity, she reached out to the alleged agent through TikTok. The agent later added her to a Telegram group where the scam unfolded.
“The victim was told that she earned a commission on a digital application and was assigned tasks to promote products from a clothing company,” Mancha said in a statement today.
However, to withdraw her so-called commission, the victim was required to make several payments. Believing the scheme was legitimate, she made numerous transactions, ultimately transferring RM130,000 to the scammer’s bank account.
The deception continued until the victim grew suspicious when asked to make additional payments. It was then she realised she had fallen prey to a scam and reported the incident to the authorities.
Sarawak police are urging the public to exercise caution when dealing with online job offers, especially those requiring upfront payments or financial transactions. “Always verify the legitimacy of job advertisements and the credibility of agents before engaging in any transactions,” Mancha advised.
Cases like this highlight the need for increased public awareness about online scams. Victims are often lured by promises of easy money and fail to detect the warning signs until it’s too late.
