KUCHING: A 26-year-old woman suffered losses amounting to RM161,200 after falling victim to a phone scam involving suspects impersonating officers from the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) and the police.
Kuching police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said the incident occurred on January 7, when the victim was in a public area and received a call from an individual claiming to be from the NSRC.
“The call was later transferred to another number, with the caller posing as a police officer.
“The suspect allegedly deceived the victim by claiming that a criminal case had been registered under her name.
“She was instructed to transfer money to several bank accounts purportedly to ‘clean’ her funds, with assurances that the money would be returned later,” he said in his statement.
Alexson added that, believing the claims, the victim made 12 money transfer transactions involving eight different bank accounts.
“She only realised she had been scammed after checking with a nearby police station, following which a police report was lodged,” he added.
Alexson said the total losses incurred by the victim amounted to RM161,200.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which carries a penalty of imprisonment of between one and 10 years, whipping, and may also include a fine upon conviction.
Police have advised the public to remain vigilant against phone scams, urging individuals not to panic when receiving suspicious calls and to immediately terminate such calls.
Members of the public are also reminded not to disclose personal or banking information to unknown callers.
The public is encouraged to verify suspicious bank accounts or phone numbers through the Semak Mule PDRM portal and to report scam-related activities to the authorities via the NSRC hotline 997 or the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) Sarawak.
