A teenager has reportedly lost more than RM1,000 after falling victim to an online romance scam involving a fake “sugar dating” arrangement advertised on social media platform Threads.
Police revealed that over the past week, more than 20 online dating scam cases were reported, involving total losses exceeding RM3.8 million. On average, each victim lost over RM14,000, highlighting a growing trend of digital romance fraud.
In the latest case, the victim came across a post reading “bored, looking for dating and sugar arrangement” on Threads and responded out of curiosity. The scammer then moved the conversation to WhatsApp, instructing the victim to pay an initial “guarantee deposit” of around RM3,000 in order to arrange a meeting.
After the first payment was made, the suspect continued to pressure the victim for additional transfers, claiming issues such as scheduling conflicts and needing to “rearrange the appointment.” Each time, the victim was reassured that all money would be refunded later, prompting repeated payments to different bank accounts.
Authorities said the scam only came to light after the victim consulted family members, eventually realising the entire arrangement was fraudulent, with total losses exceeding RM1,000+.
Police have warned that scammers often use stolen images and impersonate attractive young women or “mature ladies” to lure victims. They added that any request for deposits, gift cards, prepaid credits or cryptocurrency in online relationships is a strong indicator of fraud.
Members of the public are urged to verify suspicious accounts using official tools such as the “Check Scammers Online App” and to remain cautious when engaging in online friendships or relationships.
