By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 24: Five small business operators lost a combined RM28,160 after falling victim to scammers who posed as government-linked agents offering fake door gift supply orders for official events.
Miri district police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the Commercial Crime Investigation Division (BSJKD) recently received five police reports involving non-existent procurement and tender offers carried out using the names of government agencies.
He said all victims were small traders involved in flower and gift sales who had dealt with suspects impersonating government agency employees.
According to him, the suspects allegedly offered victims contracts to supply “door gifts” to government agencies before requesting additional items unrelated to the victims’ businesses.
“The victims were then given contact numbers of purported suppliers before being deceived into placing orders and transferring money into mule accounts,” he said in a recent statement.
He added that the victims only discovered the scam after verifying the orders directly with the agencies involved.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which carries a jail term of between one and 10 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
Mohd Farhan advised the public to verify any procurement or tender offers directly with the relevant government or private agencies before proceeding with transactions.
He also warned the public not to trust documents bearing agency letterheads without proper verification, as scammers could obtain traders’ contact numbers through websites, social media platforms and online portals.
Members of the public who suspect they have fallen victim to cyber scams are urged to contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 immediately after making suspicious fund transfers. — DayakDaily
