Elderly woman loses RM80k in 'ghost money aid' scam
KUALA TERENGGANU: A 73-year-old woman lost RM80,000 after falling victim to a scam offering fake “ghost money aid”.
A 73-year-old woman from Kuala Terengganu lost RM80,000 to a scam promising fake "ghost money aid" through social media, police say. The victim, a housewife, became interested in obtaining the aid after seeing advertisements on Facebook. She communicated with a person claiming to be "Ustaz Nasihin" via WhatsApp, using a provided phone number.
The person allegedly offered the aid for home repairs, settling debts, and donations to orphans, insisting payments be made upfront. The victim was told the money would be deposited into her account, but when she checked, she found no funds.
Later, on September 24, a person named "Vee Hong" contacted the victim, claiming to hold the money. Vee Hong said the funds could be collected but required a RM50,000 fine payment due to late collection. The victim contacted Ustaz Nasihin for clarification, who reportedly said he had been detained and fined RM50,000. The person then asked the victim to make the payment, promising a return, according to the police.
As a result, the victim made 13 transactions to a bank account, totaling RM80,000, all drawn from her savings. The police are investigating the case under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
