KUCHING: A single phone call was all it took to wipe out nearly RM500,000 — after a local woman was terrified into believing her name had been dragged into a criminal case.
The 38-year-old fell victim to a well-rehearsed phone scam on Dec 5 last year, after receiving a phone call by an individual claiming to be from the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC).
She was told that her name had been linked to a crime before the call was transferred to another number allegedly belonging to a police officer.
Gripped by fear, the victim was instructed to move her funds immediately on the grounds of “cleaning” the money. She was assured that the money would be returned once the issue was resolved.
Trusting the callers, the woman went on to transfer RM456,000 via 13 transactions into three different bank accounts.
However, truth came to light after the victim checked the PDRM Semak Mule portal and realised she had been scammed.
Kuching police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
“Members of the public should remain calm when receiving suspicious calls, immediately terminate such calls, and never disclose personal or banking information to unknown callers.
“They can also verify suspicious phone numbers or bank accounts via PDRM Semak Mule portal at https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my,” he said.
Alexson also advised the public to report suspicious scam-related activities to the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) hotline at 997 or Sarawak Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) via WhatsApp at 011-62890089 or email at kjsjkswk@rmp.gov.my.
