KUCHING: A woman in her late 30s who works as a manager at a private company in Miri reportedly lost RM84,800 to scammers recently.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri said the victim received a phone call from an unknown number on July 7 and the caller claimed to be a HSBC bank credit card agent who claimed that the victim’s name was used to make a credit card in Ipoh, Perak and the credit card was used twice on June 23 and June 24 amounting to RM7,904.69.
“The victim’s phone line was then connected to Bank Negara for further investigation. Bank Negara confirmed the victim’s name was being investigated by the central bank.
“After that the phone line was connected to the police and the victim spoke to a Sergeant Kelvin Lim and the victim’s name was also said to be involved in a money laundering case amounting to RM600,000,” he said.
Mohd Azman explained, the victim next spoke to a suspect disguised as ACP Kho Fei Chow who claimed he could assist the victim to solve and help clear her name.
“The panicked victim was instructed to withdraw all the money in her bank account and put it into a new account given by the suspect.
“The victim withdrew money from three of her bank accounts amounting to RM84,800 and made three transactions into two accounts given by the suspect,” Mohd Azman said in a statement.
He said the victim realised that she had been cheated after the suspect could no longer be contacted and came forward to lodge a police report.
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.
