By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 10: Scam syndicates are stepping up their tactics by forging physical court orders complete with real-looking seals and official addresses to trick victims into paying hefty sums, warned Sarawak United Peoples’ Party Public Complaints Bureau (SUPP PCB) chief Milton Foo.
In a TVS news report, Foo revealed that a 35-year-old Kuching man narrowly avoided falling prey after receiving what appeared to be an authentic court order allegedly issued by a Sessions Court in Peninsular Malaysia.
“The document looked convincing, even carrying a genuine court stamp rather than a photocopy. It claimed the victim failed to attend court and was ordered to pay nearly RM15,000 in legal costs,” he told a press conference on Tuesday (Sept 9).
The forged order further threatened that if payment was not made within 15 working days, the man would be blacklisted from loans and credit card applications, face property seizure, risk losing his identity card and passport, and even face bankruptcy.
Fortunately, the man remained calm and sought Foo’s legal expertise before taking any action.
Foo said closer inspection revealed glaring flaws with the phone number listed did not match official court records, the order lacked an accompanying lawyer’s letter, and by law, such amounts fall under the Magistrate’s Court, not the Sessions Court.
“Courts will never send such letters directly. Proper procedure dictates that a plaintiff’s lawyer issues the court order together with an official letter from their firm,” he explained.
He urged the public not to panic if they receive suspicious legal documents but instead verify authenticity with professional lawyers or trusted authorities before taking further steps.
“Court seals and documents can be forged. Any government body or law firm can become a scammer’s target. Do not rush to respond but verify first,” he cautioned.
Foo believes similar fake letters are already circulating widely, with some victims possibly having transferred money to scammers posing as “court officials”, resulting in heavy financial losses.
“We cannot underestimate this threat. Many victims are first tricked into making small payments before being drawn deeper into financial traps,” he warned.
Official statistics show that in the last 19 months, Malaysia has recorded 67,317 scam cases, with total reported losses amounting to RM3.1 billion. Fake investment scams alone accounted for more than RM1.7 billion of the losses.
Foo stressed that Malaysians must stay vigilant against increasingly sophisticated scams that exploit fear and trust in authority. — DayakDaily
