WOMEN fond of going into Internet chatrooms - beware if you are approached by a man purportedly English, using the name "Macho Man."

According to Kosmo!, the crook is preying on visitors to Internet chatrooms in a scratch-and-win scam.

A victim who only wished to be known as Jenn, 37, revealed this at the MCA service centre in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday.

She claimed to have been cheated of RM12,000 (S$5000) after getting to know "Macho Man" in March through a chatroom.

"After knowing him for two months, he told me that he would send me a few items such as perfume, dolls and clothes worth RM15,360 through an international courier.

"Later, another man contacted me to say the items have reached Sabah Customs and he asked me to pay RM12,000 for the handling and delivery costs," she said.

Jenn was taken in and made the payment in three instalments in May.

However, five days later, the same man asked her to pay an additional RM6,500 purportedly for storage cost before the Customs could release the items.

Jenn realised she was duped after she called up the Sabah Customs. She then lodged a police report on June 17. The MCA complaints bureau deputy chief, Choo Swee Jing said investigations showed the syndicate was based in Sabah and Sarawak.

He said the bureau had received five similar complaints against the group, which had cheated victims out of a total RM200,000.