MIRI: A foreign man in his 40s was defrauded of RM62,000 after falling prey to a scammer posing as a Customs officer who falsely accused him of being involved in smuggling sports goods.
The ordeal began when the victim purchased various sports items through the social media platform Instagram.
According to Miri OCPD ACP Alexson Naga Chabu, the incident was reported On Sunday.
“The scammer claimed that the victim was implicated in smuggling the items. Alleging that the goods were seized, the scammer coerced the victim into making 13 online transactions totalling RM62,000 to avoid supposed legal repercussions,” said Alexson.
The victim realised he had been scammed only after discussing the incident with relatives, who informed him that he had fallen victim to a scam.
Authorities are currently investigating the case under Section 420 of the Penal Code, for cheating.
