Pahang Commercial CID acting chief Yap Huat Tian said the 65-year-old woman claimed she had wanted to take a loan of RM2.5 million from three online moneylending firms to help her male friend, a US citizen, facing a business problem.

“The man promised to repay the money after he had successfully sold his father’s assets,” Yap said.

Subsequently, the victim claimed she was contacted by people claiming to be the agents of the credit companies, instructing her to deposit money into account numbers to transfer the loan.

The woman made 49 financial transactions into the accounts given before realising she had been cheated.