MIRI: A civil servant here lost over RM30,000 to scammers after trying to purchase a drone at a discounted price.
Sarawak Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) chief Supt Maria Rasid said the victim, in his 20s, saw an advertisement by ‘BM_elektronik7’ on Instagram on July 26, offering a DJI Mini 2 type drone for RM550.
“The victim was then instructed by the seller to make several payments, including for customs clearance, amounting to RM31,100 between July 26 and 28.
“The payments were made to five different accounts in 10 transactions. The victim was convinced by the seller that the money would be refunded to him,” Supt Maria said on Thursday (Jul 29).
The victim only realised that he had been scammed after the seller could not be contacted after the payments were made.
Supt Maria again advised the public to always be vigilant when making purchases online and to only deal through legitimate e-commerce platforms.
“The public are also advised to check the bank account number and telephone number of the seller at http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/ first before making payment.
“In addition, the public are also reminded not to deal directly with the sellers, especially those who are anonymous and who do not reveal their identities. Avoid the practice of sending direct messages to traders in online shopping platforms.”
