KUALA LUMPUR – Foreign students in Malaysia are being urged to exercise caution when dealing with online money changers to avoid falling victim to scams.

Malaysian Chinese Association Public Services and Complaints Department head Michael Chong said a recent case involved a Chinese masters of business administration student who lost RM20,580 (S$6,710) in a currency exchange scam.

Speaking to reporters on March 17, Datuk Seri Chong said: “The scammer used social media to cheat, and the victim lost more than RM20,000. He even faked his MyKad to deceive the victim.

“We are concerned that he may have cheated many others. It is our duty to stop him.”

Mr Chong said the victim, who wanted to be known only as Ms Jiang, sought assistance on March 16 after being scammed by a man identified as 30-year-old Hoong Kah Wai.

On March 8, she attempted to pay her tuition fees via the university portal, but the transactions repeatedly failed.

Unable to complete the payment, she turned to an illegal online money changer and obtained Hoong’s details through Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.

They later met at Hotel Tenera in Bandar Baru Bangi at about 10.30pm the same day, where Hoong showed her a photo of his MyKad and allowed her to photograph it to prove his legitimacy.

After Ms Jiang transferred the funds to Hoong’s Alipay account at 11.17pm, he attempted to walk away before claiming he needed to use the toilet, after which he fled.

“She later realised she had been cheated and was unable to contact him,” Mr Chong said, adding that the suspect was believed to have had accomplices waiting outside to assist in his escape.

Ms Jiang lodged a police report at the Bandar Baru Bangi police station on March 9, and CCTV footage from the hotel reportedly captured the incident.

The police later informed her that the MyKad shown by the suspect was fake, with the correct name and photo but an incorrect identification number, possibly altered using artificial intelligence.

Mr Chong said the victim later discovered she was not the only one scammed, with at least two other Chinese students believed to have lost about RM5,000 and RM1,000, respectively.

He added that since 2024, the department has received 16 cases involving Chinese nationals, with total losses amounting to RM580,000, often involving scams linked to accommodation or unrecognised courses. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK