KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 75 cases of phone scams involving teachers as victims were recorded this year, says Comm Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf.
The Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director said the cases represented 3.6% of total phone scam cases between Jan 1 and Oct 13.
"The 75 cases involved RM5.7mil in losses," he told a press conference at the CCID headquarters on Thursday (Oct 17).
In the latest case, Comm Ramli said a retired female teacher in Sandakan, Sabah, lost RM1.75mil to a phone scam syndicate.
"The 72-year-old woman received a call from someone posing as a Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) officer on Aug 22, saying she was involved in money laundering.
"He then transferred the call to someone who claimed to be a police officer from Bintulu district police headquarters.
"She was then asked to list all her bank accounts and keep the conversation a secret.
"The victim was then told to transfer all her savings into her four other accounts before putting all her ATM cards, PIN numbers and passwords in an envelope, then tossing it into a bush near her home.
"It is supposedly to enable the authorities to do an audit," he said.
Comm Ramli said the victim only realized she had been duped after checking her four accounts and discovering all her savings were gone.
"This case shows how scammers dealt directly with a victim by giving instructions.
"This tactic is used to control victims and prevent them from thinking rationally," he said.
Comm Ramli reminded all teachers to be vigilant and not be fooled by tactics used by scammers.
