KUCHING: A 78-year-old woman lost over RM21,000 after falling victim to a fake vegetarian food promotion scam on Facebook.
The ruse occurred on July 9 when the scammer tricked the woman into downloading a fake mobile application and taking a photo of her ATM card, which was then used to reset her online banking credentials and drain her account.
According to the her 54-year-old daughter, the scammer stayed on a video and phone call with her mother for over 90 minutes, during which two transfers were made from her account. By the time she intervened, only RM75 remained.
Following the theft, the scammer hijacked the victim’s WhatsApp account and began impersonating her, sending messages to friends and family to solicit money under false pretenses.
“The scammer impersonated my mother, sending messages like, ‘Can you help me transfer money? I’ll pay you back tomorrow.’ They included actual bank account details,” the daughter said during a press conference held at the Batu Kitang Service Centre on Tuesday (Aug 5).
The victim’s mobile phone was also remotely controlled using software such as TeamViewer, preventing the family from deleting the malicious apps or ending the scammer’s access.
They were only able to regain control after removing the SIM card and accessing the WhatsApp account from a separate device.
Reports were lodged with the police, CyberSecurity Malaysia, the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) via the 997 hotline, and the required documentation submitted to the relevant banks. However, the stolen funds have yet to be recovered.
The daughter’s public Facebook post describing the incident has since gone viral, receiving over 500,000 views and 1,500 shares.
Several commenters claimed to have also fallen victim to similar scams using the same fake Facebook page, which remains active.
Batu Kitang assemblyman Datuk Lo Khere Chiang, said the case highlighted serious gaps in the current scam prevention framework and called for stronger enforcement by the authorities.
He urged the public to remain vigilant and to come forward with their stories to help protect others.
“This press conference is not just about one victim. It’s about raising awareness and demanding accountability,” he said.
