Kuching: A retired female teacher has lost more than RM60,000 in savings after falling victim to a Facebook scam involving a fake home cleaning service advertisement, prompting renewed calls for stronger financial safeguards against online fraud.
Stampin MP and ADUN for Padungan Chong Chieng Jen said the victim sought his assistance after discovering that multiple bank accounts, including digital banking and e-wallet services, were compromised shortly after she responded to an advertisement offering cleaning services at around RM10 per hour.
According to Chong, the victim contacted the advertiser after seeing the offer on Facebook, only to have her accounts breached on 8 February 2026.
“Transaction records show that between 4 PM and 5 PM on that day, seven transfers were carried out from her digital banking account within just one hour, each amounting to several thousand ringgit, totalling over RM20,000.
“In addition, approximately RM15,000 was transferred from one of her bank accounts, while more than RM30,000 was withdrawn from another digital banking account, bringing the total losses to over RM60,000,” he said.
Chong further revealed a particularly alarming aspect of the case: one of the RM15,000 transactions was not directly withdrawn from the victim’s savings but instead involved scammers using her credit card to obtain a loan, which was then credited to her savings account before being rapidly transferred out.
“The perpetrators had initially attempted to transfer RM45,000, but the bank’s system managed to detect the suspicious activity in time and blocked RM30,000. Unfortunately, RM15,000 was still successfully transferred out,” he added.
Chong said that in the one to two months following the incident, the victim had made repeated visits to the relevant banks and digital banking platforms to lodge complaints, but to no avail, as the matter had yet to be properly addressed.
“With no resolution in sight, she approached me for assistance in engaging financial institutions and seeking possible recovery of her losses,” he said.
Chong said he will write to Bank Negara Malaysia, urging stricter regulatory oversight and coordinated action among banks and digital financial service providers to address cross-platform scam transactions.
He also highlighted concerns over the use of mule accounts and potential weaknesses in account verification processes, calling for tighter supervision of financial institutions.
Citing a parliamentary reply by former Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying, Chong said banks are required to investigate fraud cases thoroughly and may be liable to compensate victims if system vulnerabilities are identified. At the same time, even user negligence should be fairly considered in determining compensation.
He urged all financial institutions to comply with existing directives fully and to strengthen accountability measures to prevent similar cases.
Chong said he will continue monitoring the case and assist the victim in seeking further action.
