Love, Investment & Lies: Online Date Turned into a RM103,000 Scam

A woman from Sibu, Sarawak, has lost RM102,992.40 after falling victim to an investment scam that began with a match on a dating app.

Sibu Police Chief, ACP Zulkipli Suhaili, said the woman, who works in sales and marketing and is in her 30s, filed a police report on 24 April after realising she had been scammed. Her ordeal started on 11 January when she met a man on Bumble who introduced himself as Lucian Lee Hao Yu, claiming to be an engineer and a director at Hong Leong Group.

After making contact, the man moved their conversation to WhatsApp and encouraged her to invest in a private placement scheme through a website he provided, privatemutuallg.com. Trusting his story, the woman made 12 transfers between 6 February and 6 March to three different local bank accounts. The total amount she sent was RM102,992.40.

In an attempt to keep investing, she even took out a bank loan at his request. However, the promised returns never arrived, and she soon realised she had been deceived.

Police are investigating the case under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which deals with cheating.

ACP Zulkipli reminded the public to be careful of investment offers that promise high returns. He advised checking the status of companies or websites through official sources like Bank Negara Malaysias BNM TELELINK (1-300-88-5465) or the Securities Commission Malaysia (03-6204 8999).

He also recommended using the Investment Checker app or visiting https://www.sc.com.my/investment-checker to verify individuals or companies before making any investment.

For further advice or to report a scam, the public can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) by dialling 997. Scam alerts and updates are also available on the Facebook pages @CyberCrimeAlertRMP and @JSJKPDRM.