GEORGE TOWN: A widow was left penniless after losing almost RM3.9mil in a love scam, says Penang police chief Commissioner Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain.

       He said the victim got to know the man, who "promised to take care of her for the rest of her life", in December last year through Instagram.

       The 63-year-old then transferred money 184 times to the fraudster's bank accounts over four months.

       “She transferred money multiple times to 19 different bank accounts. The lowest transfer was RM9,000 and the highest amount was RM50,000.

       “The scammer knew the threshold of bank transfer transactions.

       “The money was the victim’s late husband’s and her savings,” he said during a press conference at the Penang police contingent headquarters on Monday (March 21).

       Comm Mohd Shuhaily added the victim realised she was cheated when she was browsing the Internet and saw familiar pictures that the victim shared with her.

       “The man shared pictures of himself and also videos of him at work.

       “He looked handsome and was successful in his career.

       “The pictures that were sent to the victim were edited from pictures found on the Internet,” he said.

       Comm Mohd Shuhaily Comm Shuhaily also urged the public to always be careful and not fall prey to love scammers.