KUCHING, Aug 28: Police arrested two men here yesterday after a senior citizen claimed he lost RM17,000 to them in a lottery scam.
Sarawak Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Superintendent Mustafa Kamal Gani Abdullah said the suspects, locals aged 63 and 54 respectively, were picked up from MJC Batu Kawah after several members of the public made a citizen’s arrest at 3.30pm before informing the authorities.
The 70-year-old victim filed a police report on Aug 26, after realising RM17,000 was missing from his bank account.
“The victim was told that he had won a lottery payout of RM300,000 and was promised RM20,000. The suspects claimed they were unable to claim the monies because they are foreigners (Indonesians), and therefore they asked the victim for help,” according to Mustafa Kamal in a statement.
The victim claimed he was shown a betting slip, which the police suspect was a fake.
The victim was also asked to open a new bank account and give the pin number and ATM card to the suspects.
“Convinced he could earn the RM20,000, the victim did what he was told, and added RM17,000 into the new account before giving the suspects details of his bank account.
When he realised the RM17,000 was missing, the victim and his friends manage to locate and approached the suspects at MJC Batu Kawa,” Mustafa Kamal added.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of Penal Code for cheating.
Mustafa Kamal urged the public to be extra careful with promises that seemed too good to be true.
“Please seek advice from friends or family when you receive such questionable offers to avoid being duped.” he said. — DayakDaily
