Although there are not many news reports of this type, especially the “fake friend” fraud cases, there are numerous victims of fraud in just 3 months. The total amount is more than RM230 million!
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department Director Mohammad Kamaluddin said that the police received a total of 314 reports of fake friend scams in the first three months of this year, and the amount involved is as high as RM2307438. An average of three people a day will fall for the scam set up by the fraudulent group.
The director of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department pointed out that fraudsters will use different instant messaging software, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, or other applications, to start, and then pretend to be friends to borrow money from victims.
Mohammad Kamaluddin also urged the public to turn on the double verification feature when using instant messaging software. Every time you log in to an untrusted device, you will receive a security code in your email or on your phone to ensure that the person logging in is you and that the account has not been stolen.
