KEPALA BATAS, Nov 27 ― Two men and one woman intending to apply for personal loans lost RM39,400 in total after they were duped by a bogus money lending syndicate.

Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) police chief ACP Noorzainy Mohd Noor said the three victims, namely a company manager and clerk, both aged 43, and a 26-year-old online businesswoman each lost between  RM3,000 to RM23,000 in the scheme.

"The trio claimed to have received WhatsApp messages recently, and were attracted to the company's loan offer with low instalment payment rates. They had intended to apply for loans of between RM10,000 and RM50,000,” he said in a statement here today.

According to him, the victims dealt with three men claiming to be agents of the money lending firm.

"Based on the investigations, the two male victims wanted to borrow money as each wanted to run a furniture business for some side income, while the female victim intended to expand her online beauty products business,” said Noorzainy.

The victims were then asked to transfer payments as processing and account activation fees in advance to the company’s agents, he said, adding that they lodged a police report yesterday once they realised they had been duped. ― Bernama