111 Malaysian women fall victim to Internet love scam
By ANITuesday, June 22, 2010
Kuala Lumpur, June 22 (ANI): A Nigerian syndicate that swindled a 73-year-old Malaysian woman of RM155,000 in an Internet love scam has been busted by police.
The woman was the latest victim of the syndicate, which had cheated 110 other women of about RM 1.35million.
Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah, deputy police chief Senior Assistant Commissioner of Penang, said that the Nigerians had posed as handsome British men, wooing their victims, who were all single women from Penang, through online chats, reports the Star Online.
“They took the time to win over the women’s hearts and trust, sometimes to the extent of proposing marriage,” SAC Tun Hishan said.
The ‘British men’ after wooing them for two months told the women that they wanted to gift them laptops, mobile phones and cash in American currency.
“The women then received calls from a local woman impersonating a Customs officer, telling them that the parcel had been held up for Customs checks,” Tun Hisan said.
“They told the victims that a penalty had to be paid and provided them with bank accounts to pay the fine,” he added.
The ‘British men’ and gifts disappeared after the victims paid the fine.
The police busted the syndicate and 11 Nigerian men and three local women were arrested in raids from two houses in Seberang Prai and Butterworth after a month of investigation. (ANI)
