Bruneians are believed to be among the hundreds of thousands of victims of a get-rich-quick investment scheme that was recently busted in Malaysia.

The Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) made the discovery after questioning some of the 14 people who were arrested for allegedly being behind the 'Highway Group' that recruited 500,000 members (investors) with promises of huge dividends.

However, the RMP is still trying to determine the exact number of Bruneian victims, said Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) Intelligence and Operations Deputy Director at the RMP Headquarters, Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) Roslan Abdul Wahid in a phone interview with the media yesterday.

The Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) confirmed that it is aware of the Highway Group. However, it has not received any reports yet regarding the company or investment scheme.

SAC Roslan said, "We don't have the records, so investigations are still being made to find the documents."

"We believe that there are few hundreds more who have made a cumulative loss of millions of ringgit who need to file a report," he added.

SAC Roslan urged the Bruneian victims to file a report to help with the investigation. "As they come from all walks of life, some are too shy (to come forward)."

He said the syndicate has been crippled but the Malaysian authorities need the assistance of the victims to prosecute the suspects.

The victims can go to any police station in Brunei to lodge a report or approach the RMP in Malaysia, he said.

The Highway Group promised returns of at least RM10,600 per year with every RM350 worth of investment, he said.

SAC Roslan said the group has been operating for more than two years attracting investors and collecting at least RM35 million from the members. However, after the group failed to fulfill its promises, some 175 of the members have lodged a report since February to the RMP but none of the complainants are from Brunei.

"A female account manager of the company who is among those in custody gave the information which led us to believe that there are Bruneians who have fallen victim to the scam," said SAC Roslan.

He said the company had presented itself as a multi-level marketing company whose name suggests that it is involved in building highways.

"But they're actually not building highways because the profession of most of those who were arrested are teachers," he added.

The group's investment is in lot form where one is worth RM350 and based on this minimum, investors will get RM100 monthly as a formal dividend, SAC Roslan said.

"If carried for four months, the investors can choose to close the account and get RM800 bonus on top of the monthly dividend," he said.

In the ninth month, the investors are given another option to close their account and get RM3,600 as a bonus but if they decide not to withdraw the bonus until the 12th month, they will get RM10,600.

The Malaysian media reported that six of the 14 suspects were arrested under the Prevention of Crime Act while the rest were detained under Section 420 of the Penal Code for fraud.

It was also reported that the arrested individuals are aged between 28 and 58, while most of the 500,000 members recruited are teachers.

Source:
@BRUDIRECT.COM

by BruDirect.com

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