Times are hard and many people are out of work. Knowing this, scammers have turned to lure those who are desperate.
This new scam involves syndicates who post out employment vacancies through an online shopping platform, reported BERNAMA.
The Negeri Sembilan Commercial CID chief, Supt Aibee Ab Ghani said that there were a total of 25 investigation papers opened regarding this type of case between February and July. The total number of losses amount to RM570,000 with the highest amount being RM138,000.
The chief then said that the modus operandi of the scammers is by advertising full-time or part-time job vacancies through WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook. Along with the message, they will use the logo of an online shopping platform to entice people to click on the link.
After clicking on the link, the suspect will speak to the victim and tell them that the job promises a profit of 5-10% of the capital contributed.
“Victims need to sell the items available by first buying them according to the prescribed units and the payment will be refunded along with the commission for each sale made.”
The victims will then be asked to bank in money to an individual or private business account. At first, the victim will be able to get small amounts of “profit” back but as soon as they start depositing large amounts of money, the suspect will block the victim’s phone number to cut off all contact.
In order to stop this from happening, remember to check the phone number or bank account number on Semak Mule if you have suspicions!
Also read: Semak Mule: Here’s How You Can Check If A Bank Account Or Phone Number Belongs To A Scammer
