JOHOR BARU: An insurance agent is upset after more than RM11,000 seemingly vanished from his bank account overnight.
Koo Kah Peng, 53, said before the incident, his account held RM11,092, which he used for daily expenses and his children's education.
“That was when I checked it at around 11pm on May 19.
“I ordered something via Facebook and wanted to know how much money I had left before I made the payment.
“I have never made an online transfer before as it is my usual practice to make a cash deposit in person to the seller when I make online purchases,” he told a press conference organised by Johor Jaya DAP public complaints bureau chief Mok Meng Haw on Monday (June 26).
Koo said when he checked his bank account again the next morning (May 20), he was shocked to see there was only RM1 left.
He said he immediately made a police report on the same day and he was also advised to lodge a complaint at the bank’s main office in Johor Baru.
“After following up with the bank for three days, it informed me that my money was transferred to an unknown account via four transactions.
“I am unsatisfied by the answer given by the bank, which claimed that several transaction authorisation codes (TAC) were sent to my mobile phone number – but I did not receive any such codes.
“I even sent my smartphone to a mobile phone shop to check and no TAC were found," he said.
Koo added that he has changed his online banking app password but he is still worried that a similar thing might happen again.
“I use the bank account to receive my salary and I am anxious each time I check my balance for fear that my hard-earned money will vanish again,” he said, hoping that his experience would serve as a reminder to the public to be more alert about the issue.
When contacted, a police official confirmed receiving Koo's report.
Meanwhile, Mok reminded the public not to download any suspicious apps or click on any links to avoid accidentally downloading a virus that makes it easy for hackers to steal their personal information.
He said the public can also contact the National Scam Response Centre hotline at 997 within 24 hours if they suspect they have been scammed, so that authorities could take the necessary action.
