“NO Further Action (NFA)” – words that many Malaysians have become acquainted with as they are regularly trotted out by law enforcement agencies such as the police and more pertinently, the Attorney-General Chambers (AGC).
Rightly or wrongly, public confidence in these agencies as well as the judiciary is at all-time low as they are viewed as inefficient, incapable or worse, dispensing justice unevenly.
The latest example of perceived selective prosecution involves an allegedly fraudulent investment scheme involving vending and coffee machines.
As reported recently by Kosmo Online, the Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) has urged the AGC to re-investigate a fraud case involving two investment schemes – that of a vending machine and a coffee machine – that caused losses of up to RM13 mil.
MHO secretary-general Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim said his NGO represented 205 victims who were present to submit an official complaint to urge the authorities to re-open the investigation papers and take prosecution action against the masterminds involved.
According to him, both investment schemes offered machine purchase packages with guaranteed profit returns from operations which are supposedly fully managed by the companies involved.
“At the initial stage, these investors got what they were promised but they couldn’t be sure whether this machine really existed or not because there was no control over the operation,” he outlined at a media conference after having submitted a formal complaint to the AGC in Putrajaya.
Appeals falling on deaf ears
“After the company failed to explain the return as per the agreement and gave various excuses, it eventually ceased from making any payment.”
He said the victims had made a report to the police to enable an investigation to be carried out under Section 420 of the Penal Code relating to fraud in addition to Sections 403 and 409 involving criminal breach of trust (CBT).
Moreover, a report was also submitted to the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) regarding alleged violations of the Interest Schemes Act 2016 because the scheme was not registered and did not have a trustee to manage investor funds.
However, Hishamuddin lamented that the victims were subsequently informed that the case was classified as NFA, thus sparking dissatisfaction among investors.
“The decision is very disappointing because the victims had to bear huge losses and were only advised to take civil action, even though it does not guarantee the return of their money,” revealed the trained lawyer.
More so, the victims have also submitted an appeal to the state prosecution to have the investigation re-opened but to date has not received any progress.
In this regard, MHO urged the AGC to give priority to the case as it involved hundreds of victims including senior citizens and civil servants who used their savings to invest.
“The victims aren’t here to point fingers at any party but rather as a request and appeal to the authorities to provide feedback on this case,” explained Hishamuddin.
‘Invest at your own risk’
News of this NFA was also shared on Facebook Reels by Ehailing.fm which has generated 147K views, 1.1K likes, 573 comments and 200 shares at time of publication. However, not everyone was sympathetic towards the victims’ plight.
One commenter wondered if these investors had carried out due diligence before investing their hard-earned cash. It was surmised that it is a bit too late to get the authorities to intervene after these investors had been cheated or scammed.
Quite a few also viewed these investors as “greedy and stupid” for falling for the scam, insinuating they were blinded by their own avarice.
Echoing this sentiment, one commenter advised that these scammed investors engage a lawyer and pursue civil proceedings to recoup their investments.
However, the pertinent word being repeated here was the investors’ “stupidity” even on the MHO’s part in siding with the investors
It was also opined that such disgruntlement only appears when losses are made. When investors make profit, there is hardly a squeak apart from showing off their luxury cars and houses.
As pointed out by one observer, this was nothing new and that the authorities have bent over backwards to provide relevant info.
If the potential investor does not pay heed to the many warnings – ie “check with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) – or do ample due diligence, there is no point complaining when monies vanish.
One investment expert summed it up best when he claimed that this was the reality of investments that promised high returns. They are usually ‘high risks’, so investors have to suck it up and bear with it. – April 23, 2026
- Focus Malaysia
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