SIBU: A housewife was left RM234,400 poorer after falling victim to a phone scam in which the culprits posed as government and police officers.
The incident happened on Aug 1 when the victim, in her 30s, received a call from an unknown man claiming to be an officer from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
The caller alleged that her phone number was linked to money laundering activities. Later, the call was transferred to another individual who introduced himself as a police officer.
Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili said the woman was told to reveal her savings details, pawn her gold, and transfer her funds to several accounts for ‘investigation purposes’.
“Worried and scared, the victim transferred RM234,400 via 20 transactions into seven different bank accounts between Aug 11 and 16.
“However, truth came to light when she realised she had been cheated after not being able to contact the suspects,” he said
The victim reported the incident to the police on Aug 24, and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
Zulkipli advised the public not to panic or follow instructions from unknown callers claiming to represent government agencies or financial institutions.
“For advice or more information, the public can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997, or visit the Facebook pages of @CyberCrimeAlertRMP and @JSJKPDRM.
“They can also verify bank account and phone numbers via http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/,” he said.
