Chef loses RM2,500 in scratch-and-win scam

Thursday April 25

YONG Li Leng thought she had hit the jackpot when a well-dressed salesman approached her at the Tesco Extra hypermarket in Ipoh early last month.

The salesman, who introduced himself as Low, promised Yong huge rewards if she were to participate in a scratch-and-win contest.

“After I scratched a card given to me, I was told that I had won a gold jade mattress, which had to be collected from the salesman’s office.

“On reaching the office in Bercham, I was told by another salesman that I had to pay RM6,500 for the mattress,” she said during a press conference here yesterday.

Yong, who works as a chef, did not have enough money to pay for the mattress at that time.

“The second salesman tried to convince me to borrow RM2,500 from his friend to pay for the mattress, which he said could be sold off for more than RM10,000.

“I decided not to borrow the money and gave him only RM2,500 out of my own pocket,” she said.

Yong was given a water filter as collateral and was told to pay the remaining RM4,000 in two weeks to be able to get the mattress.

“After five days, I took my husband along to the office to inspect the mattress first but discovered that it had no brand, manufacturer’s address and warranty.

“I demanded that they return my RM2,500, which the company then promised to hand over in two weeks’ time,” she said.

Yong finally realised the scam when she went to the office after the deadline and was told to wait for another two weeks.

“I lodged a police report and complained to the Consumer Claims Tribunal but have so far been unsuccessful in getting back my money,” she said.

Bercham Barisan Nasional coordinator Lim Huey Shan, who is assisting Yong, said he received another complaint regarding a scam by the same company by a housewife named Tan Siew Peng.

“Luckily, Tan did not fall for the scam because she contacted her brother while on the way to the salesman’s office.

“Her brother asked his friends to accompany Tan to the office, where they noticed something amiss and called the police,” he said.

Lim advised the public not to fall for such scratch-and-win scams that are usually targeted at women who are alone at public places.

“These unscrupulous salesmen would approach the women at shopping malls and banks while promising all sorts of grand prizes and money for participating in their contests.

“Once the victim falls for the scam, the salesmen would then request for exorbitant fees for the ‘prizes’ which might not exist or are not worth the money paid,” he added.