In the first seven months of 2026, at least $983,000 have been lost to a scam which tricked victims into believing that they had won online «lucky draws».In a statement on Friday (July 31), police warned against the scam, saying that at least 254 cases have been reported so far.Victims were told they had to pay for various «fees» to claim their winnings from participating in quizzes, livestream scratch card or lottery promotions.One modus operandi involved the impersonation of a popular Malaysian influencer, said police.Scammers created Facebook posts or short-form videos that appeared to originate from the influencer, which promoted a quiz with a cash prize.Victims were asked to contact the influencer via WhatsApp or to provide their contact details. Once engaged, victims were told they had won, and asked to pay «processing fees», «admin fees», or other fabricated charges.In some cases, a second scammer claiming to be from Maybank would ask the victim for additional transfers, saying that the money was «stuck» or an «activation fee» was required. Read more