RM382 million lost to love scams in five years

KUALA LUMPUR - A total of RM382 million has been lost to love scams in the past five years, with 7,548 cases reported to the police.

Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said that the majority of victims were women, accounting for 82.8 per cent of the total cases.

“The study conducted by our department also found that the average loss per case is RM50,000,” he said at the trailer launch of the anti-scam film “White Horse Prince Oppa” today.

Ramli said that the CCID has implemented various awareness programmes to combat love scams, including a casual chat programme, television and radio interviews, lectures and exhibitions in schools and universities, and meet-and-greet programmes at community focal points.

“We have also launched an anti-scam song titled ‘Be Smart, Stay Alert’ to ensure that the relevant messages are easily understood,” he said.

“White Horse Prince Oppa” is a 90-minute film that tells the story of a primary school teacher who falls in love with a man she meets online. However, the man turns out to be a scammer and the teacher loses a large sum of money.

The film is a collaboration between Dream Film and the CCID, and is based on a true story. It is the first Malaysian film to focus on scam awareness.

The film’s director, Denil Choong Lin Loong, said that the production team had extensively researched past and present fraud cases in collaboration with the police.

“We made eight revisions to the script to ensure that the film feels like a movie rather than a documentary about scams,” he said.

The film is scheduled to be released in cinemas later this year.