JOHOR BAHRU: A tow truck driver has lost RM267,250 after falling victim to a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment syndicate.
Kulai district police chief ACP Tan Seng Lee confirmed that the 64-year-old senior citizen lodged a police report yesterday.
The victim realised he was being scammed when asked for an additional payment to meet profit withdrawal conditions.
The syndicate had promised multi-fold returns within a short period based on the amount of money transferred.
Each transaction made by the victim was counted as a reward point, with 100 points required to withdraw any profits.
The victim made a total of 49 transactions into seven different local bank accounts between August 18 and September 19.
He had allegedly only accumulated 98 points before being instructed to make a further payment of RM88,184.
Police are now investigating the case under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
ACP Tan Seng Lee advised the public to exercise caution and verify information using the official Semak Mule portal.
He also recommended checking the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC), CCID Infoline, or the Royal Malaysia Police Facebook page for similar cases. – Bernama