Kuala terengganu: A women technician lost RM58,500 after falling victim to a scam offering to obtain a Food and Drug Administration (BPOM) certificate for the purpose of exporting products to Indonesia.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Kuala Terengganu district police chief ACP Azli Mohd Noor stated that on March 23, 2024, the 38-year-old victim encountered an advertisement related to Jom Eksport Ke Indonesia on Wan Muhd ??Ali's Facebook social page. Interested in the opportunity, she contacted the suspect and was subsequently added to the Pt-Laara Star World WhatsApp group. There, she received information on exporting products to Indonesia and participated in an online briefing via the Zoom application on May 7, 2024.

The suspect invited the victim to join the Trip Titian Muhibbah programme, requiring a fee of RM58,500. This fee covered the rental of an exhibition site and the application for a BPOM certificate for kurkis, anchovies, and smoked meat products in Indonesia. BPOM is an Indonesian government agency responsible for product regulation, similar to the Ministry of Health Malaysia and the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division (NPRA). Malaysian companies intending to export food or health products to Indonesia typically need BPOM registration or approval, depending on the product type.

Azli stated that the victim, eager to establish a business network abroad, paid RM58,500 from her savings. However, she grew suspicious when the BPOM certificate was not obtained despite the wait. The suspect frequently pressured her for additional payments, claiming it would expedite the BPOM certificate approval, which was supposedly in its final stages.

After enduring the situation for years, the victim finally lodged a police report at 12.54 pm yesterday. The case is currently being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.