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KUCHING, Aug 31: A retired offshore operation engineer from Miri fell victim to a sinister phone scam, losing RM200,000, after receiving a call from an individual claiming to be “Dato ACP Fikri Mokhtar” who accused him of being involved in drug distribution and money laundering.
Sarawak Commissioner of Police Dato Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri said a police report was lodged by the victim yesterday (Aug 30).
“The incident occurred on Aug 17 where the victim, in his 60s, was accused of receiving a commission totalling RM210,000 from the criminal activities.
“In a state of panic and anxiety induced by the situation, the victim was coerced by the scammer to transfer all funds from his bank account to a third-party account provided by the scammer,” he said in a statement today.
The transfer was allegedly for an audit investigation by Bank Negara to determine the legality of the money, which the scammer claimed could be tainted.
The victim was warned not to disclose the matter to anyone, including family members, until the purported investigation concluded.
Over a span of two weeks, the victim made 10 transactions totalling about RM200,000 to five different accounts. The transactions occurred between the middle of August and the end of the month.
The victim only realised he had been scammed after he confided in his wife about the situation.
Mohd Azman advised the public against entertaining unknown calls and that they should inform or notify their spouses, partners, close friends or family members whenever they come across suspicious phone calls.
He emphasised the need for individuals not to succumb to panic, anxiety, or fear when faced with allegations that are baseless, urging them to remain composed and untroubled if they are innocent of any wrongdoing.
Furthermore, he encouraged everyone to take the extra step of verifying the legitimacy of such calls by reaching out to their local police station, bank, or the appropriate government agencies. — DayakDaily
