MELAKA: A businessman’s online relationship with another male turned sour when he ended up being yet another victim of a parcel scam.

       “This is the first time my officers had probed an online fraud involving a romance between two men,” said state police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Abdul Majid Mohd Ali.

       He said the 42-year-old businessman lodged a report on Nov 20.

       This led to police arresting six foreigners aged between 35 and 40 in Puchong, Selangor, on Dec 30.

       The Nigerian suspects have been on the police wanted list for their alleged involvement in a parcel scam syndicate.

       DCP Abdul Majid said the businessman was lured with “amorous messages” by the male sender.

       He was promised expensive gifts and cash amounting to US$79,000 (RM331,277).

       The victim, he said, ended up transferring RM117,750 into six bank accounts in several transactions.

       Eventually, he realised that he had been duped when the gifts did not arrive.

       He said the modus operandi in parcel scams was often similar in which the victim is promised gifts but the scammer would later claim that the recipient must settle Customs fees and taxes.

       “The conman will claim that the parcel sent via courier could not reach the victim as he must pay the taxes,” he said.

       DCP Abdul Majid in the latest case, an investigation team led by Melaka Commercial Crime chief Supt E. Sundra Rajan made a breakthrough when they arrested the syndicate members, three of whom are women.

       They had been operating in the country for the past five years, he added.

       “All the suspects had no travel documents and we are investigating how they entered the country in the first place,” he said.

       DCP Abdul Majid said the syndicate members also used the bank accounts of Malaysians to dupe their victims.

       “We are probing the Malaysians involved who had given the fraudsters access to their bank accounts.

       “The Malaysians were believed to have been paid a commission for the use of their bank accounts for cheating purposes,” he said.

       DCP Abdul Majid said 77 reports on parcel scams were reported in Melaka last year involving losses totalling RM2.4mil.