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My jaw literally dropped yesterday upon reading about a 62-year-old Malaysian housewife who was scammed by a person impersonating Elon Musk.
According to her, she was persuaded to invest in Tesla by “Elon Musk” and his supposed investment manager via Facebook. Promised a large profit, she invested a few hundred dollars. Then, she claimed to have been contacted by Musk’s “mother” through another Facebook account, promising her a gift of US$10 million and several Tesla vehicles if she continued to invest.
When she failed to receive earnings from her investments, the woman consulted a Hong Kong-based law firm and was informed that these Facebook accounts were operated by scammers from Myanmar.
In order to recover her money, the woman has now filed a case at the Kuala Lumpur High Court. She seeks a court order to compel the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate the failed transactions that were supposed to deposit profits into her account and to update her on the investigation status.
She also has no legal representation. She claims to be in a financial struggle and stated that she is a recipient of welfare assistance from Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (MAIWP).
I must say, the circumstances of this case are absurd and ridiculous. How could anyone believe that one of the world’s richest men is interested in doing business with them - especially when they have nothing much to offer in return?
And why would anyone offer millions of dollars and a range of cars in return for a small investment?
Like, hello…. (*knocks head*) Anybody home?
I honestly do not know how the FBI or the US Embassy will react once they hear this news, but I am sure they will have a good laugh. I know I did.
In all honesty, I do not mean to mock the victim, but seriously, being sympathetic to these victims is not helping anyone. It is time to knock some sense into our fellow people before many others make the same stupid mistake due to their own greed.
Investment scams vs Love scams
I must say, I have more compassion for victims of love scams compared to victims of investment scams. When someone becomes a victim of a love scam, their foolishness can be understood. Loneliness and desperation for companionship can cloud our emotions, impairing judgment and common sense.
I have encountered a few of these love scams myself during a difficult time in my life. These scammers are engaging, supportive, and caring. They are well-trained in writing messages and holding conversations with their prey, often making lonely women feel special.
My scammer claimed to be the owner of a construction company and a single father from Portugal. We spoke for a little over two months and enjoyed a few phone calls before he told me he had booked a flight to visit me in Kuala Lumpur.
I was quite taken aback because our brand-new friendship seemed to be moving too fast—especially with him promising to buy me a landed property when he learned I was renting an apartment with my children. I knew there was something not right about him and his many promises. Thank God, my brain did not stop working despite the stranger trying his very best to blossom my heart with hope.
Around the same time he was about to fly over, I received a phone call from him. He told me he was all set to board the plane to meet me but was having some issues with work and needed my help.
He claimed that he promised to settle payments to his workers before taking his long holiday, but there were issues with the bank, and he could not leave without paying his workers.
He asked for my help to wire a loan totaling US$25,000 for him to settle the payments, assuring me he would repay the loan once he arrived in Malaysia.
I ended up laughing my head off upon hearing him on the other end of the phone and gave him an earful. I remember my words clearly, “How stupid do you think I am?”
Any woman desperate enough for a partner would have dreamed of a whole life with this guy. He was very much capable of making it seem real. That is why I do not fault lonely women who fall into traps set by these kinds of men. Unfortunately, many women, including intelligent ones, have made poor decisions due to love scams.
While I believe victims of love scams deserve our empathy, I do not feel the same for victims of investment scams. Victims of love scams fall prey to emotional needs, while victims of investment scams fall prey to greed. The greed to make money and more money clouds their judgment, making them susceptible to these scams.
To make matters worse, the government has unfortunately failed to do its part for a very long time. Despite these scams happening almost every day around us, I have never seen any banners on the streets or in government and public offices reminding people to beware of them. There are no mentions on TV, radio, or newspaper advertisements either. Why?
On my recent trip to Singapore a couple of months ago, I stumbled upon quite a few of these banners scattered around the country, warning its citizens to be cautious of strangers they meet online. They were catchy, informative, and served as good reminders. Now, why can’t we do that? It isn’t rocket science, is it?
Last year alone, there were over RM1.3billion loses reported due to online scams with over RM400million in investment scams and over RM40million in love scams. It is time the government step up and start launching campaigns to educate the people and offer some sort of protection to our communities.
Families should also take responsibility to inform their members, especially those who might be vulnerable due to loneliness, financial constraints, or gambling addiction.
By staying vigilant and supporting each other, we can prevent these heartless scams from claiming more victims. Let us push for better public awareness campaigns and remind everyone to exercise caution and common sense. Together, we can make a difference and stop these scams in their tracks.
Fa Abdul is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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