BAU: Scammers impersonating Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM) and police officers cheated a 23-year-old student from Bau of RM1,000 after accusing her of being involved in online gambling and money laundering.
The victim, from Kampung Bogag, Bau, received a call from an unknown number on Sept 4 at about 9.30am while she was at home.
Bau police chief Supt Mohd Haide A Rahman said the caller claimed to be from SKMM and told the victim that she was involved in an online gambling case and that her phone would be blocked.
“The call was subsequently transferred to an individual who claimed to be a police officer from Johor police headquarters.
“The supposed officer then told the victim that she was involved in a money laundering case,” he said in a statement.
He also added that the victim was instructed to report herself four times a day and provide her identity card number, time and location each time she reported in.
“She was also told to pay RM1,000 purportedly for an audit. At about 1.12pm the same day, the victim transferred RM1,000 online from her Bank Islam account via the BIMB Mobile application to an AmBank account,” he added.
Mohd Haide then stated she realised she had been duped after making the payment and subsequently lodged a police report at Bau police station on Sept 16.
Police said a check through the CCIS found that the recipient bank account had two previous records, while the telephone number used by the caller had no record.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
The victim, who was aware of the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC), also contacted the 997 hotline on Sept 16 to report the scam.
Mohd Haide advised members of the public to remain vigilant when receiving calls from individuals claiming to be government officials or law enforcement officers and to verify such claims through official channels.
