SARIKEI: A housewife’s quiet afternoon at home spiralled into a six-figure loss following a phone scam that saw RM101,900 vanish through a series of ATM deposits.
The scam occurred recently when the victim, in her 40s, received a call from an unknown female suspect who introduced herself as a CyberSecurity Malaysia officer.
The alleged officer claimed that a phone number registered under the victim’s name was linked to scam activities, instantly putting her on edge.
Moments later, the call was transferred to another suspect masquerading as a police officer, who reinforced the claims and pressured her into “cooperating” with what she believed was an official investigation.
Trusting the callers, she complied with their instructions and deposited RM101,900 in stages into a bank account provided by the impostors.
Sarikei police chief Supt Aswandy Anis said the woman only realised she had been deceived after starting to feel uneasy and doubtful about the entire situation.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
In light of this, he advised the public to be extremely cautious when receiving calls from unknown individuals and should verify the calls directly through official channels
No legitimate agency will ever request personal details or instruct members of the public to transfer money over the phone.
Those who may fallen victim to cyber-related scams — including phone scams, love scams, e-commerce fraud and non-existent loan schemes — and who have just transferred funds to a suspect’s bank or e-wallet account, are urged to immediately contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997.
Anyone with information related to commercial crimes can report them to the Sarawak Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) at 011-62890089.
