The Internet is a double-edged sword where many can do good in it and at the same time, many others can do bad things.
A Malaysian student by the name of Niva, 26, who has more than 40,000 followers on Instagram has recently found that her pictures have been misused to scam people.
Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Niva said that she received messages from some of her followers telling her that her identity has been misused on a chatting platform named MiChat.
It is said that the person posing as her with the screen name “Anbu Banu” was offering sexual services. The scammer would pose pictures of women’s bodies in lingerie (not Niva’s) and Niva’s Instagram selfies in an attempt to make it seem like they are all the same person.
Niva deduces that the scammer blocks those who have transferred money for the “services” and posts the proof of transfer to make it seem like they are legit.
The student asked for more details but the followers were unable to help her. Fast forward to Sunday, a netizen, “A” with a fake account texted her and helped her pretend as a man to gain access to “Anbu Banu”.
The scammer was also smart in the way that she only sent voice notes and needed to receive voice notes so that she knows the other party is a man.
“A” was also trying from their side and they were successful with setting a “meet-up”. When asked for a phone number, “A” passed Niva’s phone number to the scammer.
On Whatsapp, the scammer sent her bank details to Niva who was posing as “A” and a meet-up date.
“When I didn’t pay on time (we were supposed to meet at 7pm), she then texted “k Bye. I block” and immediately blocked me and deleted the bank details,” Niva said.
Prior to this, the 26-year-old student had already screenshot and recorded the whole conversation.
With proof on hand, Niva went to lodge a police report and she also complained to MCMC.
As of now, Niva has not encountered any danger yet but she is on high alert.
“I have not faced any danger YET but I am surely afraid for my safety because I don’t know how many men she has scammed.”
“With her using my face, the men would’ve simply thought that the scammer is me and I don’t know if they will come after me.”
We certainly hope that the authorities will be able to investigate the culprit!
As we are all users of social media, there is a chance that someone close to you might be a victim of this kind of scam. Be vigilant and stay safe out there.
Also read: Local Content Creator’s Reaction To Scammer Disguising as Him on Tinder Has Everyone in Stitches
