A 53-year-old factory programme manager in Penang found herself at the centre of a chilling love scam that cost her RM2.33 million. It all started in February 2023 when her aunt, fresh from a seminar in Kuala Lumpur, introduced her to a charismatic man named Perry Chan. He was said to be living in Ottawa, Canada, and they only ever spoke via WhatsApp. No face-to-face meetings ever took place.
Fast-forward to March 2024 and Perry spun a tale that sounded almost too good to resist. He claimed to be running an electric grip installation business in partnership with the Oman government and urgently needed funds to purchase raw materials. His story was bolstered by a believable excuse that internet access in Oman was unstable. The manager, wanting to help and trusting the situation, accessed his account and began transferring money.
Then, she was told some of her transfers had failed due to cross-border issues. Perry played the helpful card again, asking her to make advance payments for bank service charges, assuring her she would get every sen back. Over the course of 5 months, from 28th March to 18th August 2024, she made 58 separate transfers into 9 different local bank accounts, and the amount grew to RM1.936 million.
“In September 2024, the suspect told the victim that he had deposited a US$404,500 cheque into a Heritage Asset Bank Oman account to repay her. She was then contacted by ‘the bank’s customer service officer’ in Malaysia, telling her that in order to cash the cheque she needed to make further payments”, Penang Acting Chief Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin told Bernama.
Between 25th September 2024 and 4th July 2025, she made 13 more transfers into 5 more accounts, totalling an additional RM399,407.
Now, investigations are ongoing as Mohd Alwi works tirelessly to track down the suspect. Meanwhile authorities are urging everyone to double-check online relationships before sending any money.
In a world where messages flow easily and trust can be weaponised, this heartbreaking case reads like a cautionary tale. Even when people seem genuine, a little skepticism could save millions!