In spotlight on scams, Melaka assemblyman says offered part-time job paying RM800 daily to ‘like’ YouTube videos
KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — Kota Laksamana assemblyman Low Chee Leong claimed to have been approached by a person offering him a high-paying job for doing simple daily tasks on social media.
He said he was contacted on WhatsApp over the weekend by person named “Aisha” who promised to pay him RM800 a day merely for “liking” some YouTube videos, The Star reported today.
“She wrote in good English, telling me that I can get payments instantly if I sign up on the same day as a part-time employee with a digital media company,” Low told the newspaper.
Low added that he kept the WhatsApp conversation going with “Aisha” by enquiring more about the job offer.
“I told Aisha that the funds were needed to help flood victims.
“She then made the job offer of RM800 a day if I could start work immediately,” the Melaka state lawmaker was quoted as saying.
He related that “Aisha” told him that the company was located at a mall in Kuala Lumpur and that the payment would be made either through digital platforms or conventional banking transactions.
Shortly after the conversation, Low said he contacted the Melaka police Commercial Crimes Investigation Department Chief Superintendent E. Sundra Rajan, who confirmed that it was a scam and that there were similar cases reported in other states.
News reports about online scams targeting Malaysians and other Asians, including those in Hong Kong, have been on the uptrend.
Many victims say they had been offered part-time jobs with lucrative and easy payments through social media platforms like WhatsApp, LinkedIn or Facebook.
Police reminded the public not to be easily influenced by part-time jobs offered on social media and to take a minute to verify any account number before making any transactions.
Relating his experience, Low said scammers are very convincing when giving information about the job scope or tasks.
“Once the person takes the bait, the scammer would then ask the victim to download an app for easier transfer of payments.
“The app would contain malware to extract personal information, and bank account and credit card details,” the 59-year-old was quoted as saying.
