Elderly retiree in Padawan scammed of RM500,000 in fake online investment scheme

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, July 8: A local retiree in his 70s from Padawan has fallen victim to an online investment scam, losing nearly RM500,000 after being lured by a fraudulent advertisement.

Sarawak Police Commissioner Dato Mancha Ata confirmed confimed that the victim has lodged a police report after realising he had been duped by a non-existent investment scheme operated by a suspicious company identifying itself as HIFA (Himin International Finance Academy).

“The victim was browsing the internet in mid-March this year when he came across an online advertisement by the company offering free investment classes,” he said in a statement today.

Enticed by the offer, the victim provided his personal information via a link shared in the advertisement. He was then contacted by an unknown individual claiming to represent the company and was added to a WhatsApp group named ‘Homin International Finance Academic’.

“The suspect, acting as the WhatsApp group administrator, instructed the victim to download an application called ‘PHCview’ as a prerequisite to begin investing,” he revealed.

Believing the scheme to be legitimate, Mancha added that the victim proceeded to transfer money in stages to a bank account provided by the suspect. The total amount lost was estimated at RM500,000.

The scam came to light when the victim read a newspaper article highlighting similar fraudulent investment operations. Realising the striking resemblance to his own experience, he promptly lodged a police report.

“As of the time the report was filed, the victim had not received any of the promised returns,” Mancha stated. — DayakDaily

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