the scammer who stole my future

A story about a friendship that turned into a nightmare. It all started on a quiet Sunday evening. I was scrolling through social media when I came across an advertisement promising a brand-new iPhone for only RM99. The original price was over RM5,000. I thought it was probably a mistake, but the advertisement looked professional. It had thousands of likes, hundreds of positive comments, and pictures of happy customers. I decided to investigate. The seller had a website, a business logo, and even a customer service number. Everything looked legitimate. After thinking about it for a few minutes, I decided to place an order. I transferred RM99 and received a confirmation message. Three days passed. Nothing. I contacted the seller, who explained that my package had been delayed because of a warehouse problem. They promised to send it the next day. I waited. Another day passed. Still nothing. Then I received an unexpected email claiming that my package had been stopped at customs. Apparently, I needed to pay RM350 in additional fees. I was frustrated, but I didn't want to lose my original RM99. I transferred the RM350. A few hours later, another payment request arrived. This time, it was RM800 for insurance. I finally became suspicious. I searched for the website online and discovered something horrifying. Hundreds of people had reported the same experience. The website was fake. The positive reviews were fake. The customer photographs were stolen. Even the business registration certificate was fabricated. I immediately tried contacting the seller, but the website had disappeared. Their phone number was disconnected. Their social media account was deleted. I had lost RM1,249. But that wasn't the worst part. A few days later, my younger brother came into my room carrying his phone. He showed me an advertisement. It was the exact same advertisement. The same iPhone. The same RM99 offer. And the same fake company. They were still targeting people. I immediately warned him not to buy anything. Then I reported the website and contacted my bank. Unfortunately, there was no guarantee that I would recover my money. That night, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about how easily I had trusted a stranger on the internet. I wanted a cheap phone. Instead, I bought myself an expensive lesson. The iPhone never arrived. But the regret arrived immediately. THE END