What was supposed to be a sweet, fruity deal in buying frozen Musang King durians ended on a bitter note after a China-based company found itself being ripped off in millions of Ringgit.
According to a report by NST, the scam was brought to light when the manager of the company, a Chinese national, filed a police report in Johor Bahru regarding the fraudulent deal.
RM2.6mil lost in fake Musang King deal
As per the English daily’s report, the scheme involved the purchase of 3,840 cartons of frozen Musang King durians, which were valued at RMB 4.3 million (RM2.6 million).
In the process, the suspect was tricked into thinking that the scammer, who was also a Chinese national, possessed the necessary Approved Permit (AP) from a Malaysian fruit import-export company to ensure the transaction went through.
On July 5, the company was instructed to transfer the full payment into a Malaysian-registered company account, which they did so.
They were also assured that the shipment will arrive within a month. However, it never came after several weeks and the suspect couldn’t be contacted, thus arousing the victim’s suspicions.
When the victim tried to locate the company linked to the AP permit and found that it had no dealings with Chinese companies, he realised that he was scammed and subsequently travelled to Malaysia to lodge a police report.
Johor police chief Datuk M. Kumar told NST that the case is now being investigated under Section 420 for cheating and Section 411 of the Penal Code for handling stolen property.
Under these Acts, it carries a maximum penalty of ten years’ jail, caning and a fine if convicted.
He also urged the public to cross-check the credentials and background of companies through the relevant authorities and to contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 if they were scammed.
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