JOHOR BARU: A retiree lost over RM500,000 due to a scammer posing as a police officer.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said that police received a report coming from the 75-year-old male victim on Tuesday (January 9).
“The victim said that he lost more than RM540,000 after being cheated through a phone scam. He said that he received a call last November through WhatsApp," he said.
Comm Kamarul Zaman said that the victim was connected to a person who claimed to be a senior police officer, adding that he was told that he has a criminal record.
The victim was then told that he would be arrested and remanded due to this criminal record and was then told to lodge a report online and follow all instructions given to him.
“Out of fear, the victim followed the suspect’s instruction by taking out his savings from his account and transferring it to another bank account The victim also followed the suspect’s instruction to leave his ATM card and its PIN number at a location given to him,” he said.
Comm Kamarul Zaman also said initially the victim was not suspicious but early this month, he checked his bank account and found his money has been transferred to several individuals that he did not know.
He added that the victim then lodged a police report which is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Comm Kamarul Zaman said said that the public should be more vigilant when getting calls from unknown individuals, adding that the latest information on scams is available at the police's Commercial Crimes social media platforms,
He added that if a person has become a scam victim, they should immediately contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 as an early action to stop cash from flowing out of bank accounts.
