SIBU, April 19 — A civil servant in her late 40s has lost more than RM600,000 to a fake investment scheme operated through social media, Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata confirmed yesterday.

The woman, based in Sibu, lodged a police report after discovering that she had been duped by a syndicate using the name "XGI Horizontal”, which had promised lucrative returns within a short period.

According to Mancha, the woman had come across the investment advertisement on Facebook in early March 2025 while browsing from her home.

She was lured by the attractive profit promises and began communicating with the scammer via WhatsApp.

"The victim made several transactions amounting to approximately RM600,000 into the suspect’s bank account. She only realised it was a scam when the suspect kept demanding additional payments, and she had yet to receive any profits as promised,” he said in a statement yesterday

Mancha warned the public against falling for online investment offers that promise fast returns without verification.

"Do not easily trust investment offers on social media. Always conduct thorough background checks before committing any money,” he advised.

He also encouraged the public to verify the legitimacy of investment companies through the official websites of Bank Negara Malaysia (www.bnm.gov.my or call BNMTELELINK at 1-300-88-5465) and the Securities Commission Malaysia (www.sc.com.my or call 03-6204 8999).

Victims of cyber scams such as phone scams, love scams, fake loans or e-commerce frauds are urged to contact the National Scam Response Center (NSRC) at 997 immediately if they have just made financial transactions to suspicious bank accounts or e-wallets.

To further protect themselves, the public is advised to download the Whoscall app from Google Play Store or Apple Store to help screen incoming calls.

"Through the collaboration between PDRM’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) and the app developers, numbers listed in the Semak Mule database can be flagged as scam-related,” Mancha added.

He also recommended using the Investment Checker via https://www.sc.com.my/investment-checker and to check bank accounts or phone numbers via the Check Scammers CCID app or the Semak Mule portal at http://semakmule.rmp.gov.my before making any transactions.

The public can also follow the official social media accounts of JSJK PDRM and @CyberCrimeAlertRMP on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest scam alerts and fraud tactics. — The Borneo Post