SEREMBAN, Nov 22 — An elderly housewife here lost RM476,100 after falling for a non-existent investment scam through an investment application.

Port Dickson District police chief Supt Aidi Sham Mohamed said the 60-year-old woman claimed to have received a message from an unknown Facebook page offering a free financial management book along with a WhatsApp link on October 3.

He said the victim clicked on the link and was added to a WhatsApp group before being asked to download an application to open a savings account, and was promised interest from the deposits.

"Through the application, the victim was required to deposit money into the bank account provided by the WhatsApp group administrator and upload the payment slip into the application.

"The woman then deposited funds through 17 transactions to two bank accounts in the name of different companies using her own savings, her children’s savings, and by taking a loan from her friend from Novemer 1-17, with the total being RM476,100,” he said in a statement today.

Aidi Sham said the victim later found that her account was blocked when she wanted to withdraw money from interest accrued.

Realising she had been cheated, the victim lodged a police report yesterday, he added. — Bernama