MIRI: A representative of a ship repair company was scammed out of RM117,000 in a bogus tender involving a supposed battery supply deal.
Miri police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah confirmed that the Commercial Crime Investigation Division (CCID) received a police report regarding the case on Wednesday.
He revealed that the victim, a man in his thirties, was contacted by an individual who introduced himself as Balan using the phone number 019-2768381.
“The suspect offered the victim’s company a tender opportunity to supply batteries for a shipping company based in Johor.
“Believing the offer to be genuine, the man transferred a total of RM117,000 in four transactions to a bank account provided by the suspect for the alleged purchase of the batteries,” he said.
However, the man only realised he had been scammed after contacting the shipping company, who clarified that they had never placed any order with his firm.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property, which carries imprisonment up to 10 years, whipping, and a fine, upon conviction.
Farhan urged anyone with information to contact investigating officer, Insp, Tasman Hukman, at 014-8618690.
In light of this, he advised the public not to easily trust tender offers from unknown individuals and to verify the legitimacy of any deal before making payments.
“Those who suspect they have been scammed or have recently made payments to mule or syndicate accounts, are encouraged to immediately contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997.
“Further checks on suspicious phone numbers and bank accounts can be done via the Check Scammers CCID app or at http://semakmule.rmp.gov.my,” he said.
For updates on current scam tactics and prevention tips, visit the official Facebook pages of CCID, Cyber Crime Alert Royal Malaysia Police, and Sarawak CCID.
