MIRI: A 61-year-old businesswoman in Miri lost RM245,500 after falling victim to a non-existent government tender scam involving suspects posing as officials from a government agency.
Miri district police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the Commercial Crime Investigation Division (BSJKD) in Miri received a police report on May 14 on the fraud case, which targeted the local woman who operates a construction-related business.
The victim was approached by a suspect claiming to be an officer from a government agency who offered her a tender to supply electronic goods.
Investigators said the syndicate’s modus operandi involved offering procurement contracts unrelated to the victim’s actual line of business before directing her to deal with a second suspect purportedly responsible for supplying the requested items.
The victim was allegedly manipulated throughout the process and persuaded to transfer money into bank accounts provided by the suspects.
Police said the woman carried out four separate transactions into third-party bank accounts, amounting to RM245,500 in total.
She only realised she had been deceived after verifying the tender offer with the relevant agency and discovering that no such tender existed.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which carries a jail term of between one and 10 years, whipping and a possible fine upon conviction.
Members of the public with information on the case have been urged to contact investigating officer Insp Shoban Rajendran at 016-4260529.
ACP Mohd Farhan also advised the public to remain vigilant when dealing with tender offers purportedly issued by government agencies or private companies.
He urged individuals and businesses to verify the authenticity of any tender directly with the relevant authorities before making payments or business commitments.
Police also encouraged victims of cyber fraud, including phone scams, love scams, e-commerce fraud and non-existent loan schemes, to immediately contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) via hotline 997, particularly if financial transfers had only recently been made.
The public has also been advised to check suspicious phone numbers and bank accounts through the Commercial Crime Investigation Department’s Check Scammers CCID platform or via the Semak Mule portal before conducting financial transactions.
Police further recommended downloading the Whoscall mobile application, which works with the police commercial crime database to identify phone numbers linked to scam activities.
Authorities said the latest scam trends and modus operandi updates are regularly shared through the Facebook pages of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department, Cyber Crime Alert Royal Malaysia Police and Commercial Crime Investigation Department Sarawak.
