A teacher has incurred a loss of RM37,750 (approximately $8,900 USD) after falling prey to a fraudulent online sale advertisement for a non-existent Munchkin cat on Facebook.

Arshad Abu, the Chief of Police in Alor Gajah, reported that a 39-year-old woman residing in Alor Gajah initially became interested in an advertisement for the sale of a Munchkin cat breed listed at RM600 (approximately $140 USD) on the social media platform on August 23rd.

"The victim was subsequently asked to pay a deposit of RM300 (approximately $70 USD) into a bank account provided by the scam syndicate," Arshad Abu explained.

He further added, "The woman was then instructed to make several staged payments (supposedly) for purposes such as obtaining a permit from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan), covering flight costs from overseas, as well as obtaining an import license for the cat. The total sum amounted to RM37,750, to be paid within three days starting from August 24th."

According to his statement, after realizing the deception following the transactions, the teacher filed a police report at the Alor Gajah Police Station yesterday. The case is currently being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for fraud.

Arshad Abu issued a cautionary statement, advising the public to remain vigilant and promptly contact the National Scam Response Center at hotline 997 to take swift action in halting any funds transferred to fraudulent syndicates.

This incident serves as a reminder of the risks associated with online transactions and the importance of verifying the authenticity of sellers before making any payments.