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KUCHING, Aug 11: A clerk, in her 40s from Miri was scammed of RM250,000 after being deceived by “Sjn Lai from Perak police headquarters” and “Dato Wong from Bukit Aman” who fabricated allegations of her involvement in human trafficking and money laundering.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Dato Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri revealed that the incident began when the victim received a call from the number 019-3613192 from one Pang Hui Lee, who claimed to be an agent from J&T Perak at the end of July.
“The fraudulent agent claimed that the victim had dispatched a consignment, and subsequent investigations supposedly discovered incriminating items, including five MyKads, five ATM cards, and five passports, addressed to an individual named ‘Nor Azmi bin Nazri’ at a location in Terengganu.
“The victim denied the claims and was connected to the number +87052451072 to enable her to file an online police report and speak to Sjn Lai from IPK (police headquarter) Perak.
“During this conversation, Sjn Lai implicated her in a human trafficking scheme to Vietnam, orchestrated by two individuals bearing the title ‘Dato’,” he said in a statement today.
Feeling anxious by these allegations, the victim sought assistance from Sjn Lai to resolve the situation. She was instructed to keep the matter confidential and to check in every three hours through WhatsApp.
To further complicate matters, the scammer introduced a person named ‘Dato Wong’ from Bukit Aman, claiming that he could assist in resolving the case.
The victim, upon contacting ‘Dato Wong,’ was informed that an arrest warrant had been issued against her which implied imminent arrest and subsequent legal charges.
“Under duress, the victim was coerced into revealing her bank account details. She was then directed to transfer her funds to multiple accounts for inspection by Bank Negara, as the scammers alleged her money was linked to a money laundering operation.
“Driven by fear and manipulation, the victim initiated nine online transactions and cash deposits, transferring approximately RM250,000 to eight different bank accounts between the end of July and early August,” Mohd Azman added.
It wasn’t until her communications with Sjn Lai were suddenly blocked that the victim began to suspect she had been deceived. At this point, she confided in her sister about the distressing ordeal.
Mohd Azman confirmed that the victim had lodged a police report yesterday (Aug 10) to urge police to carry out further investigations into the scam. — DayakDaily
