Scam types and their warning signs

What the most common scams look like, the signs to watch for, and what to check before you pay. Written from reports to PenipuMY.

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Online purchases

A seller or personal shopper on TikTok, Threads, Facebook Marketplace or Carousell takes your money, then delays and blocks you. Sellers get hit too, by fake buyers.

224 reports · RM 203,736 reported lost

Most common

Warning signs

  • The price is far below everywhere else: “let go cheap, rarely used”.
  • Only a QR code, no bank account number, or the name on the QR isn’t the seller’s.
  • After you pay, a new fee appears: stuck at customs, insurance, warranty activation, postage.
  • Pressure to pay now because “many people want it”.
  • Photos copied from someone else’s post, and no live video of the item.
  • A tracking number that doesn’t work, or a “courier” asking for COD payment by QR.
  • Selling? A buyer who “overpays” and wants the difference back, or brings a “midman”.

Before you pay

Investment

A Telegram or WhatsApp group promises fast, guaranteed returns. A small first payout builds trust, then you have to pay again to “withdraw”.

21 reports · RM 553,215 reported lost

Costs the most

Warning signs

  • Returns that sound impossible: “RM45 becomes RM450 in one hour”.
  • A private group full of members celebrating profits. They’re part of it.
  • The name of a well-known fund or trading platform, but you pay into a personal or unrelated account.
  • To take your money out you must pay a tax, an upgrade, or a second transfer after a “system error”.
  • A “fund manager” who only chats and has no licence you can check.

Before you pay

Inside one syndicate’s playbook

Impersonation

Someone calls or messages pretending to be your telco, bank, e-wallet, a courier, a government office, the police, or someone in your family.

50 reports · RM 6,310 reported lost

Warning signs

  • A free bill, a rebate or a lucky draw prize, and then they ask for the code sent to your phone.
  • “A suspicious transaction on your account”, and they ask for your card details.
  • You’re told you’re linked to a police or tax case and must transfer money to clear your name.
  • A courier says there’s a COD parcel for you and asks you to pay by QR.
  • A relative or friend on a new number urgently needs money. The voice can be faked.
  • Silent calls that hang up after you speak. They may be recording your voice.

Before you pay

Rental

Rooms, houses, homestays, cars and equipment advertised with photos copied from real listings. You pay a deposit and the “owner” disappears.

32 reports · RM 15,215 reported lost

Warning signs

  • A deposit before you can view, because “someone else wants it too”.
  • The owner is outstation or overseas and can’t meet.
  • The price is below what the area normally costs.
  • The photos show up under another name or homestay when you search them.
  • When you ask to cancel, they want more money “to process the refund”.

Before you pay

Loan and cash-out

An easy loan with “only your IC” asks for a fee first and never arrives. PayLater cash-out services take your balance and vanish.

27 reports · RM 70,776 reported lost

Warning signs

  • A fee before the loan: processing, stamp duty, insurance or a “first payment”.
  • Approval without documents, and a low monthly instalment that sounds too good.
  • An “agent” from a bank who only uses WhatsApp and a personal account.
  • Offers to cash out your PayLater balance, advertised on TikTok or Threads.
  • Threats to you or your family over a loan you never took.

Before you pay

  • Check the lender is licensed on the official registries.
  • Never pay to receive a loan.
  • Don’t use cash-out services. They break the platform’s rules and are a common trap.

Phishing

A link, a file or a request for a code that hands over your bank, e-wallet, WhatsApp or Telegram account.

18 reports · RM 380 reported lost

Warning signs

  • Anyone asking for an OTP, TAC or verification code, even “sent by mistake”.
  • An APK file to book a cleaner, open a wedding card or track a parcel.
  • A bill payment page that asks for your online banking username and password.
  • A friend’s WhatsApp or Telegram suddenly asking for money or a code. Their account was taken.
  • “Hackers” offering to recover your account or your lost money.

Before you click

  • Check the link with the URL Analyzer first.
  • Never install an APK sent in a chat.
  • Type your bank’s address yourself and turn on two-step verification.
A fake water bill site, explained

Job tasks

Part-time “tasks”, like liking videos, reviewing products or boosting a shop’s orders, pay a small commission first. Then the bigger tasks need your money.

10 reports · RM 14,680 reported lost

Warning signs

  • A job from an ad or a Telegram group, with no interview.
  • You have to “advance” money for a task before you’re paid.
  • A small first payout that makes it feel real.
  • Tasks run by an “instructor” inside a group chat.
  • A link you must click to “collect your salary”.

Before you pay

Already paid?

Call the National Scam Response Centre at 997 as soon as you can, then follow the steps.

What to do now