MIRI: A construction businessman lost RM181,500 after he was lured into a scam involving a fake government tender — a ruse so convincing that he only realised the truth after the money was gone.
Miri police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah confirmed the case, which began when the 58-year-old victim was contacted by a man posing as an officer from a government agency.
The suspect allegedly offered him a tender to supply electronic items — a job that fell outside the victim’s usual line of work but appeared legitimate enough to raise no immediate suspicion.
“The scammer’s tactic involved feeding the victim detailed instructions and a phone number linked to the syndicate, creating an illusion of an official procurement process.
“Believing the tender to be genuine, the businessman followed through with the requirements.
“The man transferred RM181,500 via six transactions into a third-party account. It was only after he tried to verify the tender with the supposed agency that the truth emerged — no such tender existed,” he said.
The case is now being probed under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which provides for imprisonment of up to ten years, whipping and a fine.
Mohd Farhan urged the public to remain cautious when approached with tender offers, especially those claiming to originate from government agencies.
“Verification with the relevant authority should be done immediately to avoid falling prey to such schemes,” he said.
Anyone who has made recent transfers to mule accounts or suspects they have been scammed in cybercrime cases, including phone scams, love scams, e-commerce fraud or fake loans, is advised to contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 without delay.
Checks on suspicious phone numbers and bank accounts can be done via CCID Check Scammers or semakmule.rmp.gov.my.
