MELAKA, April 16 — A housewife was cheated of RM18,000 by a man she had come to be acquainted with over the social media site, Facebook.

Melaka Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Supt E. Sundra Rajan said the suspect informed the 71-year-old woman through WhatsApp that he would sail to Japan to carry out a railway construction project.

He said the suspect had informed the victim that he had been detained and taken to the Melaka port and begged the victim to make payment for his release.

"The victim had believed the suspect and asked a family member to help transfer RM18,000 into three different bank accounts given by the suspect,” he said in a statement here today.

The suspect then asked for more money, this time to release him from customs custody for carrying a large amount of money, he said.

Sundra Rajan said the woman asked for the help of her family member again to transfer the money but he refused and told her that she had been deceived.

"She then lodged a report at a police station in Tanjung Minyak yesterday,” he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.

He said the public was also advised to use the http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule website to check any matters related to bank accounts and telephone numbers before carrying out financial transactions. — Bernama