Increase in male love scam victims, many remain silent due to embarrassment

PETALING JAYA: While love scams predominantly target women, there is a growing number of male victims who frequently refuse to come forward due to embarrassment, according to the police.

Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf told The Star that official data from 2022 shows out of 794 reported love scam victims, 149 were males, a figure that rose to 196 out of 935 cases in 2023.

“We believe there are more male victims of such scams out there, but their cases often go unreported,“ he was quoted as saying.

Within the first two months of 2023, 122 cases led to RM3.44 million in losses, while the year as a whole recorded 935 reported cases with RM43.92 million swindled.

In contrast, 2022 saw 794 reported cases resulting in RM56.27 million in losses.

READ MORE: 74 yo M’sian teacher loses RM225k after falling for scammer pretending to be Lee Min-ho

Nonetheless, women continue to be the primary targets, accounting for 739 out of 935 cases in 2023 and 645 out of 794 in 2022.

Ramli explained that the typical modus operandi involves scammers creating fake online personas to lure victims with sweet talk and promises before concocting elaborate deceptions, such as claiming to send expensive gifts that require payment of bogus fees.

After impersonating entities like courier companies and Customs officials to deceive victims into making payments, these scammers vanish without a trace, leaving the “lover” behind.

“These scams exploit people’s emotions and trust, making it difficult for victims to recognise the deception until it’s too late.”

Ramli further noted that tactics are evolving, with scammers now utilising digital currency wallets in addition to bank accounts.

Despite 774 arrests in 2023 and 1,041 in 2022 linked to the scams, the police face challenges as many operate locally with local accomplices.

“While suspects may not be Malaysians, they set up a base here as it is easy to get local accomplices posing as bogus officials. They also use Malaysian bank accounts to receive victims’ money,“ he was quoted as saying.

Ramli urged male victims to report such incidents and exercise their right to seek justice, stressing that men are not immune to becoming victims of sextortion.

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