By DayakDaily Team
MIRI, Sept 11: A 61-year-old woman here has lost RM588,000 of her life savings to an online phone scam syndicate impersonating officers from the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) and police.
Miri district police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the victim, a local trader, lodged a police report on Sept 10 after realising she had been duped.
He revealed that the victim initially received a call from an unknown number, with the caller claiming to be from NSRC and accusing her of being involved in a scam syndicate.
“The victim was then connected to an individual claiming to be a police officer from Kuantan District Police Headquarters, who instructed her to verify her assets by transferring all her savings into a bank account provided by the suspect,” Mohd Farhan said in a statement today.
Believing the instructions, the victim proceeded to transfer an estimated total of RM588,000 through bank counters.
“The victim only realised she had been cheated when the suspect kept demanding additional payments,” he added, noting that the woman’s funds came entirely from her personal savings.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which carries a jail sentence of not less than one year and not more than 10 years, with whipping and a fine, upon conviction.
Police have also reminded the public not to panic or disclose personal information over the phone, even if the caller claims to be from official agencies. Any suspicious calls should be verified through official channels and reported to the authorities.
Members of the public who fall victim to cyber scams such as phone scams, love scams, e-commerce scams or bogus loans, especially if they have just made fund transfers into mule or syndicate accounts, are encouraged to immediately contact the NSRC at 997.
The public can also verify suspicious phone numbers and bank accounts through the Check Scammers CCID app or the official portal at http://semakmule.rmp.gov.my before conducting any financial transactions.
For the latest updates on scam modus operandi, police advise the public to follow the official Facebook pages of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), Cyber Crime Alert Royal Malaysia Police and Sarawak CCID. – DayakDaily
