Ever since the digital age came around, our personal information is floating helplessly on the world wide web and is at the mercy of hackers and online scammers. You must have heard from at least one person who is a friend or even a family member who have been a target or victim of online scams. These sort of scams are typically schemed to rob you of your money or your identity.
In a report by Malaysiakini, 51 Chinese nationals and two locals were detained for allegedly perpetrating an online loan scam using the QQ and WeChat apps in Klebang, Melaka. The suspects were 41 men and 10 women from China as well as two Malaysians who were in kahoots with them.
So how did they carry out the scams?
They used QQ and WeChat to lure their victims with specific scripts revolving around love, investment schemes and financial aid before offering a loan ranging between 20,000 Yuan – 200,000 Yuan (RM11.8k – RM118.5k). They would then ask their victims to repay the loan between 3 to 48 months but the borrowers had to pay a processing fee and a 5% deposit of the loan amount. Naturally, they would cut off all communications and disappear after the victims have paid the deposit.
We urge everyone to be wary of phone call scams as well. They may seem convincing but if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Money doesn’t come easy and when it does, there’s an old adage that goes “Easy come, easy go”.
Also Read: Over 100 Scammers Still on the Run While 8,230 Phones, 174 Laptops & 787 Desktop Computers Seized
