Restaurant Assistant Cheated Out Of RM77,889 In Fraudulent Online Affiliate Scheme

KUALA TERENGGANU, Dec 9 (Bernama) -- A 34-year-old restaurant assistant was scammed out of RM77,889 by a syndicate offering a fraudulent online affiliate scheme.

Kuala Terengganu police chief ACP Azli Mohd Noor said the victim was offered the job on Oct 4 via WhatsApp by a male acquaintance he had met on Instagram. The suspect offered a 10 percent return on every sale of women's clothing and accessories from his shop.

"Eager to earn extra money, he joined the affiliate scheme and was instructed to register as a seller on the 'Lazada East Asia' application. He received several orders but had to pay processing fees upfront, with a promise that the money would be refunded along with the profit," he said in a statement today.

Azli said the victim, using his savings and loans from friends and relatives, transferred a total of RM77,889 in stages to six different bank accounts between Oct 16 and Nov 26.

The victim only realised he had been cheated yesterday when he failed to receive any of the promised refunds or profits.

"He filed a police report at 4.10 pm yesterday. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating," he said.

-- BERNAMA