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Kota Kinabalu: The Kota Kinabalu District Police Headquarters recorded losses totalling RM11.12 million from 214 online fraud cases between January and March 15.

Acting Kota Kinabalu Police Chief Supt Syed Lot Syed Ab Rahman said these cases form part of the 290 commercial crime investigations opened by the Commercial Crime Investigation Division, with total losses amounting to RM14.628 million.

He added that besides online scams, 46 cases involved e-commerce fraud, particularly vehicle transactions, resulting in losses of RM328,888.

Commenting on the vehicle fraud tactics, he said syndicates acted cunningly as intermediaries by reposting images of vehicles owned by others on social media platforms such as Facebook and Mudah.my at significantly lower prices.

“When victims show interest, the syndicates negotiate the price and direct them to the original owner’s address to view the vehicle. At the same time, they inform the real vehicle owner that a representative (the victim) will be coming to inspect the car.“Once the victim is satisfied and agrees to buy, the syndicates request payment before supposedly handing over the vehicle,” he said in a statement, Thursday.

Syed Lot said after victims transferred payment to the syndicate’s account, the actual vehicle owners refused to hand over the cars as they had not received any money, while the syndicates would disappear and block all contact with the victims.

He said investigations found that the e-commerce syndicates merely acted as third-party intermediaries online and never met either the victims or the genuine vehicle owners.

Syed Lot also advised the public to remain vigilant against scam syndicates offering fake homestay bookings through social media.

He said such scams often target urban and tourist areas, especially during school holidays and festive seasons, and urged the public to conduct thorough checks before making any payments.

“Police advise the public not to be easily swayed by advertisements on social media or offers that seem too cheap, and to verify the identity of vehicle owners or service providers before carrying out any transactions,” he said.