Online scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and scammers will go to great lengths to trick unsuspecting victims. Recently, I received a bizarre call from someone claiming to be from Shopee's "HQ." What followed was an obvious scam attempt filled with inconsistencies, aggression, and outright threats. Here's my experience to warn others about such fraudulent tactics.
The Initial Contact
It all started with a call from an unknown number: 0175339996. Upon answering, the person on the other end introduced himself as "Iskandar from Shopee HQ." His tone was serious, and he claimed he was following up on an important email allegedly sent to me on February 2, 2025.
Since I have never sold anything on Shopee, I was immediately suspicious. I questioned him about the email's content, and that's when he started his ridiculous claim:
Wait… what? I have never heard of this product, let alone sold anything on Shopee! So naturally, I laughed at the absurdity of the claim, which only made him more agitated.
The Scam Becomes Clear
When I pointed out that he had the wrong person, the scammer became defensive, almost offended that I was questioning his legitimacy. His aggressive tone escalated quickly:
He insisted I was selling the product.
He accused me of "turning things around."
He threatened that the call was being recorded.
He challenged me to come to Shopee HQ in person.
By this point, I had placed him on loudspeaker, and my friends around me burst into laughter. Clearly, this was not a professional representative of Shopee, but a scammer trying to intimidate me into agreeing with his nonsense.
The Full Conversation
To provide full transparency, here is a transcript of the actual conversation:
ME: Hello?
SCAMMER: Hello. Ni HQ Shopee.
ME: Hello?
SCAMMER: ye hello
ME: Hello?
ME: Ah ye finally ade someone cakap.
SCAMMER: Nama saya Iskandar, HQ Shopee
ME: HQ Shopee. ok.
SCAMMER: hari ni nak sampaikan beberapa maklumat penting berkenaan email yang kami hantar pada 2 hari bulan 2, 2025.
ME: eh sorry ape dia? email ape?
SCAMMER: email yang kami hantar pada 2 hari bulan 2, 2025
ME: pasal ape?
SCAMMER: email ni berkenaan dengan aduan dekat Shopee prima dari jabatan kesihatan dimana mereka maklum kami satu product skin care name "Glow Glowing"yang encik menjual ini tak ade ape ape sebarang kesan.
ME: eh you ni dapat salah orang ke ape ni glow glowing, hahahahhaa.
SCAMMER: Salah orang? ade pape yg kelaka ke encik?
ME: eh kelaka la. sape yg bercakap ni dan nak bercakap dengan sape?
SCAMMER: encik, encik kate bende ni kelakar. Kalau encik rase bendi ni kelakar encik tamat kan panggilan ni.
ME: huh?
SCAMMER: saya rasa saya sampaikan makluman ni berkenaan dengan perkara yang serious. tak ade pape yg kelakar pun.
ME: ye ye yer.. you nak cakap dengan siape. and name you siape. i rase you dapat salah orang ni. tu yang saya kelakar gelak ni. dan you cakap pun dengan nada yang agak kurang ajar, so kenapa saya nak kene layan?
SCAMMER: Nada yang kurang ajar? Encik, panggilan ni kami rakam. Encik nak pusing pusing?
ME: Saya nak pusing apa? Glow glowing apa?
SCAMMER: Sekarang ni saya memang tinggi kan suara. Saya cakap dengan encik baik baik, encik kate saya nada kurang sopan.
ME: ye memang kurang sopan.
SCAMMER: Encik nak tengok nada kurang sopan? ni nada kurang sopan.
ME: ah ye. teruskan kekurangan sopan anda.
SCAMMER: ah sini encik dapat jumpa saya dekat HQ.
ME: Kenapa nak datang? kalau tak puas hati datang sini jumpa saya terus.
SCAMMER: Kenapa saya kene datang jumpa encik pulak? encik yang kata saya kurang sopan lah, encik datang jumpa saya lah
ME: ok. Sape call sape sekarang. dan product ape glow glow ni jadah. Saya tak pernah pakai pun.
SCAMMER: Abes tu encik yang menjual kat shopee, pastu cakap takde takde
ME: Bile mase saya jual kat shopee?
SCAMMER: Saya tengok sini dah 3 tahun lepas dah encik dah pakai ni untuk jual barang.
ME: hahahahahaha mangkuk hayun betul. (group laughing which i open on loud speaker heard by everyone)
SCAMMER: encik, encik bukak laa shopee tengok sendiri. Bukak shopee tengok ade ke tak ade.
ME: ahh ye ye ye saya jual barang. sedihya..
SCAMMER: ni kalua aku rogol bini ko baru ko tau. (i accidentally thought he said "nanti aku call bini kau")
ME: bini pun tak ade.
SCAMMER: rogol mak kau ke, ape ke. (HE HANG UP THE PHONE!)
Identifying the Scammer
After the call ended, I used the popular TrueCaller app to check the phone number. Interestingly, TrueCaller identified it as "RAKAN COP NEW." However, this was misleading, as the actual Rakan Cop program is a community policing initiative in Malaysia, and this scammer had merely set up their TrueCaller ID to appear legitimate. This is a common trick used by scammers to gain trust and deceive victims into believing they are from an official organization.
Listen to the Call Recording
To provide further proof of this scam attempt, I have uploaded the recorded phone call to YouTube. You can listen to the entire conversation and judge for yourself how these scammers operate. The embedded video below contains the full audio of my interaction with the scammer:
Report and Spread Awareness
If you receive a similar scam call, report it immediately:
Shopee Malaysia's official customer service through the Shopee app.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
The police if any threats were made.
Call the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997.
Contact your bank's scam hotline if financial fraud is suspected.
These scammers thrive on deception and intimidation, but by staying informed, we can expose them and prevent others from falling victim. Have you ever encountered a similar scam? Share your experiences and let's fight back against online fraud together!
Comments
this is bad and hope malaysian government to further enforce on the regulatory part to curb on this issue.