PADAWAN: The public should pay heed to the advice from Padawan deputy police chief DSP Lim Jaw Shyong regarding transaction authorisation code (TAC) or one-time password (OTP) scams and how to be smart when encountering scammers.
First of all, TAC is a six-digit number sent to users’ phone numbers registered with the bank to confirm each transaction made. On the other hand, OTP is a code that only applies to one login session or transaction using a mobile phone.
“These scams will occur when the suspect sends a text or WhatsApp message to the victim claiming to have mistakenly registered the victim’s phone number to their online banking account.
“The suspect will then ask the victim to hand over the TAC or OTP number. The victim’s money will then be wiped clean from their account and transferred to a third party account.
“In addition, there are cases where the suspect will instruct the victim to hand over the TAC number, ostensibly to help save the victim’s money in their account which was claimed to be involved in a crime or has outstanding debts,” he said.
Lim pointed out that should the public encounter such scammers, they should be smart and think ahead of the situation.
If the public were to receive a text or WhatsApp message from an unknown person claiming to be from the bank or police and informing of tax arrears or others, they should always remain calm and not panic.
“The next step is to end the call and immediately contact your bank agency to confirm whether it is real or not.
“Most importantly, you should be able to identify Malaysian phone numbers with foreign phone numbers.
“If you want to confirm the number of the relevant agency, first make sure that the number is valid and never call that phone number given by the caller,” he told.
He added that the public should seek immediate advice from the authorities or go to the nearest police station.
Lim reiterated that the police or any government departments or agencies have never asked the public to deposit money into the account of any individual or third party to resolve a case.
He advised the public to check the account number provided by the caller and verify whether the person has a criminal record.
Should the public have any information, they can channel it via WhatsApp or message the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) Infoline at 013-211 1222.
They can also visit the official portal of the CCID at http://ccid.rmp.gov.my or check the account number at http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/#.
