By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 8: A Chinese businessman recently fell victim to an elaborate scam, losing RM564,354 in a fraudulent scheme involving a fake parcel and false police investigations.
According to the police report lodged by the victim, the incident began in mid-September 2024, when he received a phone call from a woman claiming to have a parcel for him at Perlis.
The caller alleged that the parcel contained illegal items and requested that he contact the police for further assistance.
The victim was given two phone numbers, one purportedly belonging to the ‘police’ and another to a man named Datuk Loo.
Over the next two weeks, the victim was engaged in numerous phone calls and WhatsApp exchanges, during which Datuk Loo claimed that a transfer of RM564,354 to an account under ‘SAA COOL EMPIRE’ was necessary to assist with the police investigation.
On Oct 4, the businessman transferred the funds from his UOB bank account to a CIMB account provided by the scammer.
After completing the transfer, the victim consulted with his wife, which led him to the realisation that he had been scammed. He immediately lodged a police report, hoping for swift action.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman and Stampin MP, Chong Chieng Jen, has stepped in to assist the victim, urging banks to take stricter measures against similar fraudulent activities.
He emphasised that banks should bear part of the responsibility for such incidents, especially when mule accounts are allowed to operate unchecked.
“We suspected that a mule account at a local bank was used for the transfer of the fund. We will liaise with the recipient bank and try to trace the money trail to help the recovery.
“Banks should also be held partially responsible for allowing a mule account to be opened, operated, and used for a scam.
“We will render all our assistance to the victim as much as possible,” he said in a press statement. — DayakDaily
