KUCHING: A company based in Miri has suffered a financial loss amounting to RM240,000 due to their unfortunate encounter with a business email compromise (BEC) scam related to the procurement of frozen pork from an overseas source.
The incident came to light when the company’s manager, a woman in her 20s, had initiated contact with a meat wholesaler company via email in early June this year.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri said the purpose was to explore the possibility of purchasing frozen pork products from abroad.
Throughout their communication, the company shared a detailed product catalogue and engaged in discussions pertaining to the transactions.
“Intrigued by the offerings, the woman’s company decided to proceed with an order totalling 28,000kg, encompassing a variety of 11 different types of frozen pork parts from the company.
“From the end of July to mid-September, she made three transactions amounting to RM240,000 via telegraphic transfer.
“The payments were directed into two different bank accounts at a financial institution,” he said.
However, suspicions arose when the woman decided to verify the delivery status of their order with the chosen delivery company in mid-September.
To her dismay, she discovered that although the delivery information did exist, it was associated with an entirely different company altogether.
Mohd Azman said the woman reached out to the company she made the deal with through email and she was informed by the company that their email had been compromised.
Realising the gravity of the situation, she promptly reported the incident to the police for a thorough investigation yesterday (Sept 23).
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
“Considering this situation, we urge the public to promptly contact their business partners for confirmation. Additionally, if the provided bank account differs from the one typically used for transactions, we advise making the necessary changes.
“The public, especially companies, should diligently scrutinise received email addresses and ensure that their office computers are equipped with up-to-date antivirus software to safeguard against malware attacks,” he said.
