The wish of a sales coach of a water filter company to own a Mercedes A45 luxury car shattered when he lost RM39,000 to an online car ‘seller’.
The 43-year-old victim reported the incident to the police at the Kuantan District Police Station on February 12 after the car he bought failed to be delivered as promised.
According to a report by Sinar Harian, Pahang Commercial Crime Investigation Chief, Superintendent Mohd Wazir Mohd Yusof said, the incident started after the victim saw an advertisement for the sale of an auction car through Telegram. The victim then called the number listed when he was at his residence in Indera Mahkota on February 7.
The ‘seller’ sent a Toyota Wish car to the victim for temporary use
After the victim stated his intention to buy the Mercedes car, the suspect, ‘Encik Fauzi’, who claimed to be a Road Transport Department (JPJ) staff in Putrajaya, sent him a Toyota Wish car for the victim’s temporary use. ‘Encik Fauzi’ assured the victim that he would send him the Mercedes car after the purchase.
The suspect then asked the victim to immediately make a payment of RM39,000 through three online transactions.
“The suspect then requested the victim to make payment immediately. The victim transferred RM39,000 through three online transactions to the given bank account number,” Mohd Wazir told the media.
After the payment, the suspect told the victim the Mercedes bought would arrive in Kuantan within two days.
However, Mohd Wazir said the victim later found the Toyota Wish given by the suspect for temporary use went missing. The vehicle was parked in front of his house.
“The victim tried to contact the suspect several times but failed. The victim suspected the suspect had taken the vehicle.
“Following that, the victim came forward to lodge a police report on Saturday evening,” explained Mohd Wazir.
Mohd Wazir said the suspect deceived the victim in buying the car online through Telegram.
The suspect’s action of giving another vehicle to the victim for temporary use was to assure the victim.
“The action prompted the victim to make a payment. After the payment transfer, the suspect took back the vehicle and did not deliver the purchased car,” said Mohd Wazir.
The police have recorded the victim’s statement and are investigating the fraud case under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
Beware of online car scammers
In the meantime, Bjak would like to remind you to be aware of online fraud cases and take precautions, so you do not fall victim to any fraud.
Previously, Bjak has shared the tactics used by used car sales scammers as shared by the Cyber Crime Alert Royal Malaysia Police. Please take a look at our past article on used car sales scams for more information.
In addition, if you wish to buy a used car, review and compare the price of the advertised vehicle against the market price. If the price offered does not make sense, for example, 50% cheaper than the market price, the vehicle may have a problem or not exist at all!
Before buying a car, we advise you to identify the identity and business of the seller. Whether you want to buy a car online or offline, ensure that you buy from a legitimate seller.
Additionally, before making any transaction, we urge you to check the seller’s bank account number and telephone number through the website https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my/. This is to identify whether the bank account or telephone number has any relation to any fraud case.
Should you have further questions regarding online fraud, you may directly contact the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) at 013-211 1222 or the CCID Scam Response Center at 03-2610 1559/1599.
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