Winnie K breaks silence on RM380,000 scam ordeal

The Star

Malaysian celebrity Winnie Kok, also known as Winnie K, lost RM380,000 to a scammer posing as a “Datuk” who promised her a lucrative brand ambassador role.   Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yc8j6n2m   WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news  SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar  LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00Malaysian celebrity Winnie Kok, better known as Winnie K, has fallen victim to a scam orchestrated

00:08by a man posing as a Datuk who promised her an exclusive brand ambassador role for a luxury

00:14property project. The fraud left her 380,000 ringgit poorer. Recounting her ordeal at a press

00:21conference on Thursday, Kok said it began in September 2023, when a close friend, also a host,

00:28introduced her to Datuk A, who claimed to be a property developer.

00:33He called me first. He called me through WeChat. I mean, we spoke for more than an hour. He was so

00:39serious. He talked about his project and then he said, I'm looking for exclusive ambassador. And he

00:44said he would like to, when he back to Malaysia, he would like to meet me in person. He want me to be

00:49exclusive, not as other products ambassador. Then I even asked, I would like to ask for more. So he

00:55said, OK, I can give you $800,000 until $1 million to be an exclusive.

01:00Kok said they met after Datuk A returned from China later that month, during which he asked for her help.

01:06He showed me, he used his phone and showed me, this is my money in ePay wallet. So he said, in China,

01:13they call WeChat. He said, this is my amount. But he cannot use in Malaysia. He said, I just borrow,

01:20I'm not asking your money. I just want to borrow. And he said, within two to three days,

01:25I promise, I promise I will return your money. Despite initial hesitation, since the funds were

01:31meant for her mother's medical expenses, Kok eventually transferred about 380,000 ringgit

01:37over two weeks. The man then disappeared, prompting her to lodge a police report.

01:42You know, Dr. Sri, why take so long for me today to... To speak up. OK. I got this mentally

01:50distressed. Mentally distressed. So you're OK now? Not 100%. Yeah, but I think 80%. That's why

01:59today I feel like I need to voice out. OK, for some people, maybe this money, maybe it's small,

02:04but for me it's not easy for me to earn money. OK, this is my hard-earned money.

02:09OK, all these years I've been taking care of my mum for medical hospital bill. And suddenly

02:18I lost this money. OK, I made a mistake. I also blamed myself. And yeah, because this

02:27is my hard-earned money.

02:28Kok said she decided to speak out to raise awareness and warn other artists to be cautious

02:33when accepting job offers.

02:35MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head, Datuk Sri Michael Chong, said many similar

02:55cases had been reported since last year, mostly involving women targeted by scammers claiming

03:00to be Datuk's.

03:02Tell the victims or whoever facing this type of cases, please come forward to us. We are

03:11prepared to help them. Do not mental torture yourself. Do not attempt suicide. No, please.

03:18We have cases where they attempt suicide. Attempt the suicide because of the distress. Don't

03:24do that. Please come forward. We have a panel of lawyers. We have some good advisor. We will

03:30help you as much as possible.

03:32Also present were Cox lawyer Esther Hoare, Malaysian Association of Arts, live events, concerts

03:38and festivals president, Datuk Ellen Fu, and several local artists who attended in solidarity.

03:49You

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