The Instagram Promise That Stole RM33,000

A woman in Labuan has become a victim of an online investment scam, losing RM33,508.25 after being misled by a fake investment offer she found on Instagram.

Labuan police chief Superintendent Mohd Hamizi Halim said the 30-year-old woman saw an advertisement on Instagram that promised high returns. Interested by the offer, she contacted the account operator through WhatsApp.

The woman was persuaded to make several bank transfers between January and April, believing she was making real investments. At first, she invested RM300 and received a 10 percent return, which made her trust the scheme even more. Encouraged by the early success, she continued to transfer larger amounts, eventually losing over RM33,000.

Problems began on 11 April when she tried to withdraw her investment profits. She was told there was a “system error” that stopped the transaction. This raised her suspicions. After several attempts to contact the Instagram operator were ignored, she decided to file a police report on 23 April at around 7:05pm.

The case is now being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. If convicted, the offender could face up to 10 years in prison, whipping, and a fine.

Superintendent Mohd Hamizi explained that scammers often send a small profit at first to gain their victims' trust before convincing them to invest larger sums. He urged the public to be very careful with investment offers on social media, especially those that promise fast and guaranteed profits. These offers are usually signs of scams.

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