MIRI, Aug 3 — A woman looking to buy a British Shorthair cat online was scammed out of RM9,200.

Miri district police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu in a statement yesterday said the victim, who is in her 40s, found and made an online purchase of the cat through WhatsApp.

“She was then instructed to make several online money transactions to the suspect as payment for the pet and made five transactions to a third-party bank account given by the suspect amounting to RM9,200,” he said.

However, the cat never arrived and she lodged a police report on August 1.

“At the time the police report was made, the promised pet still had not been received and the suspect continued to demand payment with various excuses,” he said.

An investigation is being conducted under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which can lead to imprisonment of not less than one year and not more than 10 years with whipping and a fine upon conviction.

Alexson advised the public to always be cautious with online purchases, especially from social media sites offering prices lower than market rate.

“Victims are often told to make immediate payments due to low stock or high demand, but the goods are never received, and contact is lost,” he said.

The public is advised to contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 if they are victims of cyber fraud such as non-existent loans, love scams, e-commerce, phone scams and others, and if they have just made a money transfer to any suspect’s bank account or e-wallet.

The public is also advised to download the Whoscall application from the Google Play Store or Apple Store to help decide whether to answer incoming phone calls.

Phone number and bank account checks of the suspect can be made before any financial transaction via Check Scammer CCID or the website http://semakmule.rmp.gov.my

The latest information on fraudulent crime modus operandi can be obtained on the official social media accounts of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), Cyber Crime Alert Royal Malaysia Police, and CCID Sarawak. — The Borneo Post