Police detect 'syariah-compliant' investment scams using pictures of famous figures

KUALA LUMPUR - The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) through the Commercial Crime Investigation Department has detected investment scams that claimed to be Islamic and Syariah-compliant advertised through social media platforms using pictures of famous individuals.

PDRM secretary Datuk Noorsiah Saaduddin said throughout 2020 until last month, police investigated a total of 186 cases related to these investment fraud schemes involving a total loss of RM5,411,571.61.

According to her, the scheme offers a profit of up to 50 times the value of the money invested with the returns said to be paid as early as three hours after the investment is made.

"The advertisements also use pictures of famous individuals including politicians, religious leaders, celebrities, corporate figures and social media influencers believed to be aimed at attracting the attention of investors.

"Investigations found that the individuals shown were not involved in the investment scheme and never gave permission for their photos to be used,” she said in a statement today.

Noorsiah confirmed that several prominent individuals have lodged police reports regarding the misuse of their photos by investment scammers.

She advised the public to always be vigilant and never be influenced by investment schemes that offer lucrative returns, adding they should do a detailed check before participating in any such scheme.

"Get more information from official sources such as the semak mule portal, the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) alert list and the Securities Commission of Malaysia (SC) before deciding to participate in a dubious investment scheme,” she added. - BERNAMA