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A WOMAN in Limbang town in northernmost Sarawak ended up losing RM65,150 in “loan processing fees” to a loan shark when she went online to get RM35,000 in cash.
The housewife, aged 42, got scammed on Saturday, said Limbang district police chief Supt Parum Niot said today.
“The victim has lodged a police report over the incident that happened to her on Saturday.
“In her report, the woman said she had wanted to secure a cash loan for RM35,000 as she needed the money for some urgent needs.
“She went online and found a website on Google offering monetary loans.
“She clicked on the website and subsequently found a Whatsapp contact.
“She linked up with the WhatsApp contact and was told that she must follow some steps in order to get the loan she needed.
“The WhatsApp contact told her that she needed to pay some loan processing fees first in order for the loan to be processed.
“Over a series of communications with the WhatsApp contact, the woman somehow ended up paying up RM65,150 in so-called loan processing fees.
“She had paid the money online to five different bank accounts as instructed by the WhatsApp contact.
“She came to the police for help after realising she was scammed,” he said in a statement today.
Apparently, the woman only came to her senses when she realised the so-called “loan processing fees” were more than what she was trying to borrow.
Parum said the police have classified the case as one of cheating.
Once again, he warned the public not to indulge in monetary transactions with unfamiliar sources, especially if it involved big sums of money.
The public must be extremely cautious with such sort of monetary dealings via online contacts or via Whatsapp and other social media, he warned. – The Vibes, November 22, 2023.