Petaling Jaya, 22nd January 2025 – Director of Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), CP Dato’ Sri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf has warned catering business owners to be vigilant when accepting orders to avoid falling victim to scams.
He told The Sun that based on investigations, scammers often pretend to be from government agencies or companies when contacting potential victims online to hire them for catering jobs.
Dato’ Sri Ramli said, the typical tactic begins with reservations or bookings via social media platforms such as Facebook, often months ahead of an alleged event, to build trust with the catering company.
"Fake documents are often provided to make an order seem real. After agreeing on the price, the scammers request extra items like door gifts, and instruct the caterers to pay another scam company for them, with a promise of reimbursement.
"Surprisingly, the caterers do not question why they are being asked to make payment for the door gifts or other items to an individual or company directed by the buyer. The caterer only realises his company has been scammed when the delivery location declines to accept the order.”
Dato’ Sri Ramli said, the CCID received several police reports in 2024 about such incidents, with six cases alone involving losses of RM90,990.
"So far this year, we have recorded one case with losses amounting to RM7,390." He said the reported cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code, and that the investigation team is using all legal powers to identify and apprehend the scammers before prosecuting them.
Dato’ Sri Ramli said, a key precaution against falling for catering scams is to meet clients face-to-face, as in-person interactions can help assess a potential client's legitimacy and reduce the chances of dealing with a scammer.
Read further on
The Sun’s article attached.