MIRI: The Sarawak police has initiated a thorough investigation into two recent incidents involving fraudulent phone calls which have caused huge financial losses for the victims.
According to a press release by Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri today (June 16), in the first case, a 62-year-old female account clerk from a private company here, fell victim to a shocking scam.
Mohd Azman said, the victim, unaware of the deception, was connected to individuals posing as police officers from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Regrettably, she complied with the demands, opening an account at a financial institution in Miri and transferring her savings and EPF funds.
Later on, the victim discovered that her money had been stolen. A total of 31 unauthorised transactions, amounting to RM 496,962, were made from her account without her knowledge or consent.
In a similar case, Mohd Azman added, a 59-year-old female account clerk from another private company here was ensnared using the same method on June 15.
Following the instructions of the suspect, she unknowingly revealed her account number, username, and password. Subsequently, she received a notification of a withdrawal amounting to RM 49,999.00 and was coerced into using the online banking app to verify the transaction. Only after consulting with her husband and the bank did she realise that she had fallen victim to a phone scam. Her account had been depleted by RM 149,892 through 15 unauthorised transactions.
Mohd Azman urged the public to stay vigilant and exercise caution when receiving calls from unknown numbers. He advised individuals to promptly report any suspicious activities to the authorities.
