Cover image via China Press
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A sophisticated scam promising easy money for watching movie trailers has reportedly defrauded over 7,000 Malaysians
According to China Press, the syndicate allegedly used images of Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh, Ronny Chieng, Melvin Sia, and Lenna Lim to lure victims, claiming they could earn commissions simply by just watching and liking film trailers online.
The scam's modus operandi was revealed at a press conference held by the Malaysian United Party yesterday, 6 October, where two victims came forward to share their experiences.
Huang (transliteration), 74, and Lin (transliteration), 67, said the syndicate offered multiple membership tiers to attract victims.
The lowest tier was RM160, with other packages priced at RM600, RM2,200, RM6,200, and even exceeding RM10,000.
To build trust, new members would initially receive their promised commissions on time after completing "video-watching tasks".
Once hooked, they would be enticed to upgrade to a better tier to unlock higher commissions.
However, once the victims invested a significant amount of money, often in the four-figure range, the scammers ceased all communication with the victims and absconded with their money.
The scam ran continuously until 2 October, when the platform abruptly ceased operations, claiming its system had "crashed"
Even after shutting down, the syndicate attempted to squeeze more money out of their victims, asking them to pay a RM750 "activation fee" to supposedly migrate their accounts to a new "subsidiary" platform.
Huang shared that he joined with the lowest RM160 plan. While he managed to earn back over RM100, he still ended up with a small loss.
The real loss, however, was in his relationships.
"I brought in eight to 10 friends, who now blame me for introducing the scam to them. The truth is, I am also a victim," said the retired man.
Huang said the situation escalated to the point where he was threatened with violence, prompting him to file a police report for his safety.
Meanwhile, Lin said she lost more than RM1,000 after investing a total of RM4,400
She began her membership with a RM2,200 payment, initially earning about RM80 a day.
In August, she spent another RM2,200 to open a new account, thinking she could increase the commission payout with the new commitment.
Earlier this month, she realised she had fallen victim to the scam after the syndicate demanded RM750 to reactivate her account following the "crash".
She said she tried to warn others in the 7,000-member group chat, but she was promptly removed and blocked by the administrators.
Both victims urged the public to be cautious of "easy money" schemes that sound too good to be true.
