News from Malaysia.

The Star Online > Nation
Thursday April 26, 2012
Teacher conned into paying RM3,550 for a ‘gift’
By LOH FOON FONG
foonfong@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: A teacher was duped into paying RM3,550 to receive a parcel sent by a man she had met online.
The 36-year-old woman who only wanted to be known as Wong said she befriended someone who claimed to be British by the name of Adrian Steve through www.badoo.com.

After getting to know him for over two weeks through telephone calls and webcam chats, Wong said that on April 19, Steve said he wanted to send her a gift through a courier company.

“He told me that he was sending me a ring, jewellery and some money,” she said at a press conference at Wisma MCA here yesterday.

On Monday, Wong received a call from someone who claimed to be from the courier company.
Cheated via online: Wong showing a picture of the 'British’ man, who claimed to have sent her a gift for which Wong had to pay to redeem, during a press conference at Wisma MCA.
The person told Wong to pay RM3,550 so the parcel could be delivered to her.
She deposited the money but then received another call.

“The person called Jane' claimed she did not receive the money and asked me to put in another RM9,500 into a local bank account.”

Wong felt something was amiss and immediately lodged a police report at the Setapak police station on the same day.
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said that they had received seven such complaints this year involving six women and one man with losses amounting to RM660,000.
“While the man did not have any money to deposit, one woman put in around RM500,000 into a bank account,” he said, adding that all the women were professionals.

He said the suitors would tell the women they would be sending them a gift which had to be paid for.
“Some even went to the airport to wait for the arrival of the gift, and obviously, there was no such thing,” he said.
Chong added that it was not logical for a person to pay money to someone they had never met.

“How can a man claim to love someone within a few days and ask her to pay for a gift?” he said.