Doctor couple lose RM300k after being duped by father of former singer

KUALA LUMPUR: A doctor couple allegedly lost RM300,000 after being duped into investing in the Kad Prihatin Siswa project by a Datuk who promised them lucrative returns.

The man, who is also the father of a former singer, allegedly told the couple that 620,000 students from 20 universities would benefit from the project through a collaboration with a well-known telecommunications company.

The victim, who wished to be known as Dr Alia, 38, said the man claimed to have connections with senior government officials and told them that minutes of meetings on the project had been submitted to the government.

The man also claimed that the project was being implemented across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, while promising investors returns and annual trips to London or umrah in business class.

Dr Alia said she knew the Datuk as the son-in-law of one of her patients. She added that the man had previously visited her clinic and asked her to make a house call to treat his mother-in-law.

"Since then, my husband and I became close to him as I treated his mother-in-law until she passed away.

"He also invited us to his Hari Raya open house and we remained close after that.

"He would often invite us out for drinks at weekends before telling us about his business, projects with the government and influential connections, including senior government officials," she said when contacted.

Dr Alia said the man eventually persuaded her husband to join his team for the Kad Prihatin Siswa project, claiming that he believed in him and wanted to help him become more successful and wealthy.

She said the couple invested RM300,000 in the project in August 2023.

"He also sent us photographs of himself in meetings with a telecommunications company and a bank regarding the project," she said.

She said the man had also shown her a letter which he claimed had been minuted to the Deputy Prime Minister.

"To this day, I am not sure whether the project actually exists. He claimed that he wanted to help Malay youths share in the prosperity.

"We only realised we had been deceived when he (the Datuk) asked us to increase our investment and pressured us to put in more money," she said.

Dr Alia said the couple had yet to receive any returns from the investment. She later lodged a police report at the Ampang police station last Wednesday.