A private company employee in Bera, about 157 kilometres from here, has lodged a police report that she lost RM168,030 after she was duped by a non-existent money lending company since last month.

Pahang Commercial Crime Investigation Department Chief Superintendent Mohd Wazir Mohd Yusof said the 39-year-old woman claimed she came across a money lending advertisement on the social media and fell for it as it displayed the name of a local bank.

He said the woman left her phone number at the advertisement’s comment section and a few hours later she was contacted by a male suspect who introduced himself as a representative of the money lending company.

The suspect had provided details on the loan and repayment method before the victim agreed to take up a personal loan of RM230,000.

“Then two other male suspects claiming to be from the same company contacted her for the loan application process,” he told reporters here today.

Mohd Wazir said the victim was then directed by the suspects to make several payments for bank administration fee as well as other fees into five separate accounts, amounting to RM168,030 since the end of May until last Wednesday.

However, the victim only realised she had been duped when the suspects still contacted her asking for more money although the loan yet to be approved.

Realising something was amiss the victim then lodged a police report at the Bera district police headquarters and the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code, he said.

-- BERNAMA