By DayakDaily Team
MIRI, July 16: A 43-year-old local woman lost RM1.389 million after falling victim to a phishing scam involving a fake online cake advertisement on social media.
Miri district police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the victim lodged a police report on July 15 regarding unauthorised withdrawals from her bank accounts.
He said the victim had come across an online cake advertisement on social media and clicked on a link provided to view the menu and place an order.
“After clicking the link, the victim’s mobile phone screen suddenly went dark and became unusable,” he said in a statement today.
The victim later checked with her bank at about 10am on July 15 and discovered that two bank accounts belonging to the complainant’s company had recorded 19 unauthorised money transfer transactions involving 15 different bank accounts on July 14.
The total amount transferred was RM1,389,132.
Mohd Farhan said the case is being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Computer Crimes Act 1997, which carries a maximum fine of RM150,000, imprisonment of up to 10 years, or both upon conviction.
Members of the public with information related to the case may contact investigating officer Insp Tasman Hukman at 014-8618690.
Meanwhile, police reminded the public to remain vigilant against phishing crimes, particularly fake links spread through social media platforms.
Police warned that clicking on such links could result in victims unknowingly downloading malicious applications or exposing personal and banking information, allowing criminals to gain unauthorised access to mobile devices and bank accounts.
The public is advised not to click on suspicious links, only download applications from official platforms, and never share passwords, PINs or one-time passwords (OTP) with anyone.
Those who have recently transferred money to mule accounts or scam syndicates are encouraged to contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 immediately.
Members of the public can also check suspicious phone numbers and bank accounts through the CCID Scam Response portal at Semak Mule CCID before making any financial transactions.
Police also urged the public to follow the official social media pages of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department, Cyber Crime Alert Royal Malaysia Police, and Commercial Crime Investigation Department Sarawak for updates on the latest scam modus operandi. — DayakDaily
