KUALA LUMPUR: The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) has alerted the public about a new investment scam involving a cloned version of the SC’s public register of licence holders and registered persons.
In a statement, the SC said this method of deceiving investors sees scammers falsely claiming to represent entities purportedly licensed by the SC.
It said that to support these false claims, potential victims are directed to a fraudulent website that mimics the SC’s official public register portal.
“Upon entering the name of the fake entity into this cloned site, the search result will show that the fake entity is legitimately licensed by the SC, complete with fabricated company registration numbers, license details, and other fictitious credentials.
“The fake listing includes fabricated company registration numbers, license details, and other fictitious credentials,” it said.
Victims are then persuaded to transfer funds into mule bank accounts allegedly for investing, said the commission.
The SC said that since the discovery of this new investment scam, it has taken immediate steps to bring down the identified cloned websites.
“Notwithstanding, the SC urges the public to be alert and never click on random links received from unknown sources,” it noted.
It also reminded the investors to only use SC’s official public register on its website at https://www.sc.com.my to verify the legitimacy of an entity.
“Investors are also reminded to avoid transferring funds into bank accounts of suspicious entities, which may be mule accounts used by scammers.
“If you have any doubts or come across suspicious websites or investment schemes, please contact the SC’s consumer and investor office at 03-6204 8999 or email aduan@seccom.com.my,” it said.