JOHOR BARU: A housewife here thought she had sealed a sweet deal when she purchased a car from Singapore for only RM16,000 – but she ended up losing RM22,000 instead.
The 40-year-old woman from Pasir Gudang, who only wanted to be known as Chong, said she was drawn to a Facebook post by a used car dealership on April 16.
She called the number provided and spoke with a salesman.
“I thought I scored a bargain when the salesman told me he could assist me in applying for permits and approvals for the car with an upfront payment of RM2,500.
“He asked for a copy of my MyKad and driver’s licence to transfer ownership to me and I gave it to him on April 20.
“I told him I wanted to think about it first but he called me persistently over the next few weeks and I felt he genuinely wanted to help me,” she told a press conference on Monday (May 31).
Chong said she checked the dealership’s background and trusted the salesman after finding out online that the company had a branch in Singapore.
She finally caved and made an online transfer of RM2,500 to an individual’s savings account on May 19.
She subsequently made three other online payments, all to different individuals’ accounts, on May 21 (RM4,010), May 22 (RM6,000) and May 24 (RM9,500), for a total of RM22,010.
Chong said she borrowed money from friends to come up with the sum without her husband’s knowledge and had no choice but to inform him after the deal turned sour.
“I sensed something was not right when the salesman asked for another RM17,000 on May 25, claiming that the sum was to pay taxes to release the car from the Malaysian Customs Department.
“When I refused, he tried to scare me by saying that Customs officers would come and find me as my MyKad details have been submitted to the authorities,” she said, adding that the salesman was still harassing her even after lodging a police report on the same day.
Meanwhile, former Pasir Gudang Municipal Council councillors Mok Meng Haw and Ku Chee Chen, who organised the press conference, reminded the public to be more vigilant before transferring money to unknown individuals.
Seri Alam OCPD Mohd Sohaimi Ishak confirmed the police report and said investigation is ongoing under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
