Wrong-number message turns into scam trap

KOTA BHARU – A simple message from an unknown woman thanking him for returning a lost document has left a private sector worker here devastated after his savings in Tabung Haji and Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) disappeared in less than a month.

The victim, who wished to be known only as Aizat, 47, said the nightmare began in July when he received a message from an Indonesian woman who claimed she was expressing gratitude for the supposed help.

“I ignored the message at first, but the woman kept sending the same text several times.

“I finally replied to tell her she had the wrong number, but that was how our conversation started,” he told Sinar.

Over time, Aizat said the woman began offering an investment opportunity requiring an initial sum of RM300.

She even financed the amount herself and within two days, he received a RM500 return directly into his account.

Encouraged by the quick profit, the woman then increased the investment to RM3,000, which allegedly produced RM5,000 in returns, further convincing him that the system was legitimate.

Aizat said she continued persuading him to invest more until he eventually used all his savings, RM30,000 from Tabung Haji and RM50,000 from ASB.

He added that he felt as though he had been “hypnotised” by the woman, who later urged him to borrow money from his siblings, around RM5,000 each and to take a RM30,000 bank loan to add to his investments.

“I wasn’t only deceived by her in the investment scheme, but things became worse when I was scammed again by another syndicate posing as bank officers after I tried to apply for a loan to cover the investment.

“I lost another RM10,000 after paying an advance to a person claiming to manage the loan. They said the process would be easier if I made a small payment since I work in the private sector,” he said.

Aizat said he had found the contact for the so-called bank agent online as he urgently needed the money and did not want his wife to find out.

He only realised he had been scammed after trying to borrow RM10,000 from his wife to make the supposed final payment.

His wife became suspicious and took him to a nearby bank to ask about the loan.

“The bank staff told us that no loan applications are done online and that borrowers must be present at the branch.

“I fainted in front of the bank when I realised I had been duped. The woman also became unreachable after I told her I had no more money left,” he added.

The father of two said he immediately lodged a police report at the nearest station and changed his phone number for fear of being contacted again by the scammer.

He is now more cautious and no longer responds to calls or messages from unknown numbers.

Although several months have passed since the incident, Aizat said he still struggled to sleep and felt anxious whenever he received messages or calls from unfamiliar numbers.