Latest news with #RM161
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Straits Times
Retiree in Malaysia loses $49,040 after being scammed to be a sperm donor for a ‘beautiful woman' in HK
The 57-year-old parted with RM161,000 to the scammers before finally deciding to call off the 'deal'. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO Retiree in Malaysia loses $49,040 after being scammed to be a sperm donor for a 'beautiful woman' in HK Having ignored warnings from the bank and police, a retiree lost RM161,000 (S$49,040) after being lured by an online scam to become a sperm donor for a supposedly beautiful woman in Hong Kong. The 57-year-old saw an advertisement on social media stating that the woman wanted to bear a child and that there would be a reward of HK$2mil (S$327,940) for the man chosen. 'I was communicating with a person claiming to be a lawyer for the woman who said he would formalise the agreement. 'I was told to make several payments, including RM10,000 for air tickets and RM30,000 for protection services for her,' the man told a press conference held by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong in Ku ala Lumpur on June 5. The retiree, who identified himself as Tan, said he continued to make more payments, including to fly in doctors who would monitor him to ensure that the baby would be born healthy. In total, Tan parted with RM161,000 to the scammers before finally deciding to call off the 'deal', without even meeting the woman or the so-called lawyer in person. Mr Chong said he was disappointed with Tan for being so gullible and falling for what was an outright scam. 'The bank officer called and asked to meet with him on the transactions, as he suspected it was a scam. 'After meeting the bank officer and a policeman who told him the same thing, Tan continued to make payments to the scammer. 'The scammer told Tan not to be scared and that his payment was ready, and even provided a screenshot of a cheque written out to him. 'Tan admits he had been utterly stupid to fall for this. He only hopes that others will not fall victim like him,' Mr Chong said. Mr Chong said he believed that the woman in the photos was also a victim, with her details being used by scammers. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
4 days ago
- The Star
Retiree swindled for sperm
KUALA LUMPUR: Having ignored warnings from the bank and police, a retiree lost RM161,000 after being lured by an online scam to become a sperm donor for a supposedly beautiful woman in Hong Kong. The 57-year-old saw an advertisement on social media stating that the woman wanted to bear a child and that there would be a reward of HK$2mil (RM1.08mil) for the man chosen. 'I was communicating with a person claiming to be a lawyer for the woman who said he would formalise the agreement. 'I was told to make several payments, including RM10,000 for air tickets and RM30,000 for protection services for her,' the man told a press conference held by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong here yesterday. The retiree, who identified himself as Tan, said he continued to make more payments, including to fly in doctors who would monitor him to ensure that the baby would be born healthy. Serious business: Chong (left) speaking to the media during a press conference at Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star In total, Tan parted with RM161,000 to the scammers before finally deciding to call off the 'deal', without even meeting the woman or so-called lawyer in person. Chong said he was disappointed with Tan for being so gullible and falling for what was an outright scam. 'The bank officer called and asked to meet with him on the transactions as he suspected it was a scam. 'After meeting the bank officer and a policeman who told him the same thing, Tan continued to make payments to the scammer. 'The scammer told Tan to not be scared and that his payment was ready and even provided a screenshot of a cheque written out to him. 'Tan admits he had been utterly stupid to fall for this. He only hopes that others would not fall victim like him,' Chong said. Chong said he believed that the woman in the photos was also a victim with her details being used by scammers.
The Star
5 days ago
- The Star
QuickCheck: Did a 'child-bearing' scam cause a retiree to lose over RM160,000?
In the realm of too-good-to-be-true offers, one retiree found himself entangled in a web of deceit when he saw an advertisement on social media. It was claimed that a Malaysian lost a substantial sum of money when he fell prey to scammers who claimed to offer a lucrative reward to impregnate a Taiwanese woman. Is it true that such a 'child-bearing' scam really caused a retiree to lose over RM160,000? VERDICT: TRUE A 57-year-old Malaysian man lost over RM161,000 to scammers who promised him a RM1.08mil reward to impregnate a Taiwanese woman. The man, who identified himself as Tan, said that he saw the "offer" in an advertisement on social media. The post claimed that a Taiwanese woman was seeking a man to have a child with and was offering a reward of HK$2mil (approximately RM1.08mil). "I was communicating with someone claiming to be a lawyer for the woman who would formalise the agreement. I was then directed to make several payments, including RM10,000 for airfare tickets and RM30,000 for her protection services," he said at a press conference organised by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong. Chong said bank officers reached out to Tan regarding the transactions and asked to meet with him because they were concerned that Tan was being scammed. "After meeting both the bank officer and a policeman who voiced similar concerns, Tan still proceeded to make payments to the scammers. The scammer assured Tan not to worry and claimed that his money was ready. 'They even provided a screenshot of a cheque made out to him," Chong explained. In total, Tan handed over RM161,000 to the scammers. At the press conference, Tan explained what had happened to Chong, hoping that his story would be shared through the media as a cautionary tale.
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- New Straits Times
Retiree falls for fake sperm donor offer, loses life savings
KUALA LUMPUR: A 57-year-old retiree lost his life savings of RM161,000 after falling victim to an online scam involving a fake offer to become a sperm donor for a woman supposedly from Hong Kong. The victim, identified only as Tan, said he is now penniless and unable even to afford a bus ticket home. Tan recounted that in early February, he came across a Facebook advertisement offering HKD2 million (about RM1 million) in exchange for helping a housewife, who was allegedly desperate to have a child. "Soon after, I was contacted by a man claiming to be her lawyer. He informed me that I had been selected to be with Lee Na to help her conceive. "I was shocked and asked why I was chosen. He said it was because I had a handsome face," Tan said during a press conference at Wisma MCA today. The 'lawyer' then asked him to make several payments including RM10,000, RM30,000 and RM1,000 supposedly for registration fees, travel expenses, and other costs. Tan said he proceeded with the payments in March, lured by the promise of receiving RM390,000 after all formalities were completed. However, following the transactions, he was contacted by his bank and warned that he could be a victim of a scam. Tan said he confronted the 'lawyer', who continued to reassure him of the payout but requested an additional RM120,000, allegedly to cover the fees of two medical specialists from the United States. "I made three more transfers for that. Then I asked to meet the woman, as I had only been dealing with the lawyer. I even requested a video call, but he refused." The lawyer continued to make excuses, giving repeated assurances that the promised RM1 million would be paid. It was only then that Tan realised he had been scammed. He lodged a police report and sought help from the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department. Its head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said the victim admitted that his decision was foolish, but still came forward in hopes of preventing others from falling into similar traps. "This is the second case of its kind we've received in recent times. Last year, we handled a similar complaint. "I urge the authorities to step up monitoring of Facebook advertisements, especially those involving potential scams like this," he said.
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Strong ACE debut for Signature Alliance
KUALA LUMPUR: Signature Alliance Group Bhd saw a firm start on its ACE Market debut after raising RM161 million from its initial public offering (IPO). The interior fit-out firm opened at 68 sen, above its IPO price of 62 sen, and climbed to an intraday high of 69.5 sen. As of 9.15am, the stock was trading at 67 sen, an 8 per cent premium, with more than 35 million shares changing hands.
