Report online scammers immediately, Fomca advises victims
26 Apr 2022 07:00am
Fomca CEO Dr Saravanan Thambirajah says most of the complaints are from those who bought goods from Facebook page, WhatsApp or Wechat application
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief executive officer Dr Saravanan Thambirajah said the ministry can then immediately identify the scammers.
He urged consumers to buy goods from registered online sellers registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) to ensure credibility.
“Fomca would like to advise not to buy goods through social media like Facebook, WhatsApp or WeChat as the sellers are not registered with SSM, which makes it harder to take action as the seller could be operating from unknown places,”he told Sinar Harian.
Commenting further, he said, consumers are also advised to lodge a police report with available evidence as it involves criminal cases and fraud.
“Consumers need to make a police report as there is an element of fraud, " he said, but in most cases the chances of getting the money back is usually low.
He advised online buyers to be cautious especially when purchasing branded goods through Facebook page, unless they display SSM numbers or buy from the official website, "or the goods may be fake or stolen."
Commenting further, Saravanan said there have been more complaints from victims past two weeks.
He said purchasers are able to trace their orders from online Shopee or Lazada websites as a purchase comes with a serial number but the problems are those who buy from Facebook or WhatsApp.
"Past two weeks, we have received more complaints than usual with people dissatisfied after failing to receive goods or the seller disappear, "he explained.
