By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 17: A 72-year-old woman from Kuching fell victim to a phone scam, resulting in a loss of over RM1.3 million.
According to Kuching police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu, on July 31, the victim received a phone call from an individual claiming to be from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), stating that her phone number was involved in a criminal case.
The suspect then transferred the call to another individual who introduced himself as Sergeant Tan from the Terengganu Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK).
The suspect instructed the victim to transfer money for ‘investigation purposes’ into seven bank accounts via fourteen transactions, amounting to a total of RM1,300,200.
“The victim only realised she had been scammed after her husband contacted her,” he said in a statement.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property, which carries a punishment of imprisonment for not less than one year and not more than ten years, whipping, and a possible fine upon conviction.
Members of the public have been advised to be vigilant against such cases by immediately ending any suspicious phone calls and avoiding providing any personal or banking information to unknown callers.
Suspicious bank accounts and phone numbers can be checked via the official PDRM Semak Mule portal.
For inquiries or complaints, the public can contact the Sarawak Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) hotline at 011-62890089 or send an e-mail to kjsjkswk@rmp.gov.my.
If they believe they have been scammed, they can contact the National Scam Response Centre at 997. — DayakDaily
