GEORGE TOWN: A man detained in connection with a RM500,000 pre-order scam involving 150 PlayStation 5 (PS5) consoles is believed to have acted alone in the online business which he has been allegedly operating for two years.

       Penang Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Asst Comm Mohd Asmadi Yusoff said investigations revealed that the 23-year-old, who was detained in Penang on Nov 13, acted alone to deceive buyers into depositing payment for the consoles into his mother's bank account.

       ''The duo (mother and son) actually run an online business. However, initial investigations found that the mother was unaware of a link with the PS5 consoles.

       "The investigation also found that the man was conducting the (console pre-order) business over the past two years and promoted the products via Facebook and Instagram," ACP Mohd Asmadi told reporters after a Commercial Crime Prevention Campaign here on Friday (Nov 19).

       The seller had a company registered in his name and a check with the Companies Commission of Malaysia found the business registration certificate belonged to a 23-year-old man with a registered address in Penang, he added.

       ACP Mohd Ismadi said the man is believed to have deceived individuals by building a reputation as a "trusted seller", while there were some buyers who received their orders and in turn recommended the seller.

       The suspect has been remanded to help in the investigation of a similar case in Kedah.

       ACP Mohd Asmadi said fraud cases involving cybercrime in Penang rose 28.2% in the first 10 months of this year and involved losses of RM79mil, up from RM54.1mil for the same period last year.

       Data also showed an increase in such cases during the Covid-19 pandemic, he added. – Bernama