Ipoh hawker exposes blackmail attempt by love scam

IPOH: A 47-year-old hawker has revealed that he was targeted by a love scam and threatened with having his nude video posted online. The man, identified as “Teoh,” shared that the scam began after he added a woman named “Rhenibelle Petry” from China on Facebook on July 25. They then continued their conversation on WhatsApp. On the night of July 27, during a video call, Petry persuaded him to undress under the pretense of doing the same herself. She subsequently recorded the video and threatened to share it on social media unless he paid her RM3,000.

Teoh reported the incident at a press conference on July 30, explaining that the following day, two individuals contacted him from a Malaysian number, demanding the money be sent to a local woman’s account. Fearing that the video would be released, Teoh reached out to Mohd Rawi Abdullah, head of the Perak Barisan Nasional Public Service and Complaints Centre. Rawi advised Teoh to press the scammers for a Chinese account number for the transfer, but they have since stopped responding.

Rawi confirmed that a police report was filed at the Sungai Senam police station on July 29. He highlighted a rise in scam cases involving mule accounts and criticized banks for allowing these accounts to remain active, which complicates police investigations. Rawi also plans to contact the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to request the closure of the scammer’s account.