SIBU: A pastor ended up RM43,988 poorer after falling victim to a phone scam involving a supposed banker claiming that she had withdrawn more than the allowable limit from her account.
The incident happened on June 18 when the woman, in her 40s, received a call from an individual posing as a representative of a banking institution. The caller alleged that she had made a withdrawal exceeding the prescribed limit.
Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili said the call was then transferred to another person pretending to be a bank officer, who instructed the victim to provide her IC number and banking details for verification.
“Worried and scared, the victim followed the suspect’s instructions.
“Two days later, on June 20, the victim checked her account and found that RM43,988 had been transferred to three unknown local accounts via five transactions.
“The woman felt suspicious and realise that she was a victim of a phone scam,” he said.
She reported the incident to the police on Sunday (June 23) and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
Zulkipli advised the public not to panic when receiving phone calls from unknown individuals claiming to be from government departments or financial institutions.
For guidance or additional information, the public can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 or visit the Facebook pages @CyberCrimeAlertRMP and @JSJKPDRM.
It is also advisable to verify bank accounts and phone numbers through the Semak Mule website — http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/.
