Latest news with #onlinefraud
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Ontario photographer frustrated $2,577 camera lens is replaced with box of staples
An Ontario woman who enjoys photography wanted to buy a special camera lens and found one online. It was an 'open box' sale, but when the shipment arrived, instead of her $2,577 camera lens, she received a box of staples inside. CTV's Pat Foran reports.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Malay Mail
Bank officer loses RM241,700 in online vehicle purchase scam, including EPF savings
KUALA TERENGGANU, July 28 — A bank officer was left devastated after losing his savings, including in the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), totalling RM241,700 to an online vehicle purchase scam. Kuala Terengganu police chief ACP Azli Mohd Noor said the incident began last July 4 when the 52-year-old victim came across an advertisement for a used four-wheel-drive vehicle on Facebook. Intrigued by the offer, he said, the victim clicked on the link and began communicating with the alleged seller via the WhatsApp application and was then instructed to give a copy of his identity card and a sum of money as an advance payment to a representative of the suspect's company, claimed to be based in Port Klang, Selangor. 'Between July 9 to 21, the victim made 40 payments to eight different accounts totalling RM241,700. The victim began to feel cheated when asked to make an additional payment of RM31,000 supposedly for fingerprinting costs at the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM),' he said in a statement today. Azli said the victim lodged a police report at 9.37am yesterday, and the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code. — Bernama
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Malay Mail
Police to operate 24-hour 997 hotline for scam victims from September, says deputy communications minister
KULAI, July 26 — The public, especially victims of online scams, are urged to use the 997 hotline, which will operate 24 hours as the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) under the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) from September. Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the move is expected to improve assistance for victims amid the rising trend of online scams, with 46,817 scam-related advertisements detected this year as of July 15. She said a call to 997 will now be treated as a police report, eliminating the need for victims to lodge a separate report at a police station. 'This will save victims time and hassle,' she told reporters after inspecting a concrete drainage project to address flash floods at Kampung Melayu Bukit Batu here today. Teo said 80 per cent of scam ads are detected on Facebook, often misusing names of high-profile individuals. Last year, 6,297 fraudulent ads were removed across social media platforms. She added she was also a victim when her photos were used in fake ads offering free books by the former education minister. 'Even after the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) removed the ads, other accounts uploaded the same scam. I am unhappy with Meta for allowing this to continue,' she said. — Bernama
Emirates 24/7
21-07-2025
- Emirates 24/7
Dubai Police Nab Cybercrime Gang Posing as Investment Brokers
Dubai Police have apprehended a cybercrime gang that specialised in online fraud by promoting fake trading and investment schemes through social media platforms. The arrests were made by the Anti-Fraud Centre at the General Department of Criminal Investigation following intensive monitoring and investigation. The operation, which the force revealed its details as part of the national awareness campaign #BeAwareofFraud, was launched after receiving several reports from victims who were contacted by the gang via phone calls. The suspects falsely claimed to represent reputable electronic investment and trading platforms, using this cover to gain the trust of their targets. The gang convinced victims they could earn high and quick profits, prompting them to transfer funds which were subsequently funnelled into bank accounts outside the UAE. The identities and locations of the suspects were thoroughly identified, leading to their swift arrest. Legal measures have been taken to refer them to the competent judicial authorities. Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Yahoo
Cambodia continues raids on scam centers, bringing arrests in past 3 weeks over 2,100
Cambodia-Cyberscams PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Authorities in Cambodia continued their stepped-up campaign against online scam centers, arresting at least 500 suspects in two provinces on Thursday and Friday, the country's information minister said. The arrests in Kandal province on the outskirts of the capital Phnom Penh, and in the northeastern province of Stung Treng, brought to 2,137 the total number detained since June 27, Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said in a statement. Those netted in raids in 43 locations around the country included 429 Vietnamese, 271 Indonesians, 589 Chinese, 57 Koreans, 70 Bangladeshi and 42 Pakistanis, said his statement. Other suspects were from Thailand, Laos, India, Nepal, the Philippines and Myanmar. The United Nations and other agencies have estimated that cyberscams, most of them originating from Southeast Asia, earn international criminal gangs billions of dollars annually. The cybercriminals pretend friendship or tout phony investment opportunities to cheat their targets around the world. Neth Pheaktra's statement said Cambodia's crackdown is ongoing 'and will absolutely continue, with a clear mandate from the top leadership to root out all illegal cybercrime activity — regardless of location or affiliation.' He said it was strengthened by a directive issued Monday by Prime Minister Hun Manet that threatened state personnel at all levels with transfers or dismissal if they failed to act vigorously against cyberscams. The latest arrests followed 2,418 others in the first six months of the year involving 18 alleged scam operations in different parts of the country, said a report from the National Police Commissioner cited by Neth Pheaktra. These resulted in 73 prosecutions and 2,322 foreigners being deported, it said. Workers at scam centers are often recruited under false pretenses and then held captive to work under tight guard. 'Jobseekers from Asia and beyond are lured by the promise of well-paid work into hellish labour camps run by well-organized gangs, where they are forced to scam under the very real threat of violence,' the human rights groups Amnesty International said in a report issued last month. It said the findings of its 18-month investigation into cyberscams 'suggest there has been coordination and possibly collusion between Chinese compound bosses and the Cambodian police, who have failed to shut down compounds despite the slew of human rights abuses taking place inside.' The kingpins of many online scam operations tend to be ethnic Chinese organized crime bosses, who generally operate outside China in areas with weak law enforcement. A spokesperson for the Cambodian human rights organization Licadho, which is often critical of the government, noted the country's poor reputation due to cybercrime, and welcomed the crackdown. 'This campaign should have been launched long ago because Cambodia has been criticized by international organizations, the international community, and the United Nations for online fraud in Cambodia, which has affected Cambodia's image, international tourists, investment, security, order, and social security,' Licadko's operations director Am Sam Ath, told The Associated Press. 'However, launching this campaign is good to demonstrate the Royal Government's determination and willingness to prevent and suppress online fraud and trust,' he said, noting that other members of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations had also acted this year to suppress online crime.
