A Malaysia-based scam in the guise of a travel company has duped 55 people in New Zealand, according to a report from The Herald. A total of $1.7 million was taken from the Kiwis, including a retired policeman and an accountant.

A female scam victim who lost $18,000 came forward despite being humiliated to warn others to be careful. The anonymous woman said she wanted to speak out to stop others from getting involved in the scam and lose their hard-earned money.

She added she made three payments in July for a scratch-and-win ticket from an alleged Malaysian travel company. By August, she became aware of the scam and thought it was her own fault why she was duped.

According to Detective Sergeant Aaron Pascoe, the Malaysian-based scam had been operating since April. He said victims are led to believe they won more than $150,000 and then instructed to contact the travel company to claim their prize.

Victims were told to make payments for local taxes and other fees before they can claim the amount. Payments for court fees were also required from the victims who were told that it is needed to prove the prize money is legal.

Pascoe, who is also the head of Auckland's crime unit, said some victims had lost over $200,000 while others had become suspicious after paying the first fee.

Other Online Scams

In July, many heartbroken lovers reported "meeting" a United Nations worker, a U.S. soldier or a Persian Gulf engineer. These are fake identities which left more than 2,440 people with broken hearts and bank accounts. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), online dating scams have quickly become a financial disaster costing millions of dollars.

The ACCC received complaints from more than 84,000 Australians who lost a total of $93 million to online dating sites. Scammers collected an advance fee from innocent victims as payment for using a service. Australians also lost money to sites offering various shopping promos and lottery tickets. Scammers also hacked accounts to steal money based according to the same ACCC report. Those who reported to have lost money to online scams were Australians between ages 33 and 45.