KUALA LUMPUR - A 28-year-old woman lost RM19,000 after her cyber 'lover' tricked her into parting with her savings to help him start a business.

She had thought that the cyber love affair was genuine after the stranger, purportedly from Ireland, popped the question.

The man, whom she had never met, pressed her to part with a sum amounting to thousands of ringgit, said to be for capital to set-up a textile business in Malaysia.

According to state commercial crime chief Supt Azmi Adam, the man had told the woman that he was setting up the business in the country to secure her future after they got married.

"The woman received an e-mail from the man on June 23 asking her to deposit the money into a bank account," the Star Online quoted him as saying.

The money was said to be for Customs clearance to enable textile materials to be brought into Malaysia.

Later, the man asked for more money, claiming that he had to pay a penalty of an equivalent RM40,869 to the Irish authorities due to flaws in export documentation.

"The woman continued to deposit more money into the bank account, believing that the man really loved her and the business deal was genuine," Adam said.

However, when the man kept asking for more money, she became suspicious and lodged a police report at Jertih in Besut.

Adam said that police investigated and traced the e-mail address, which originated from Nigeria. (ANI)