Retired woman from Bintulu falls prey to RM170,000 phone scam involving Poslaju, fake cops

Scam alert. — DayakDaily.com file pic // Photo: Pixabay

KUCHING, Nov 23: A retired woman in her late 50s from Bintulu, who previously worked in the private sector, fell victim to a phone scam and lost approximately RM170,000.

In a press statement, Sarawak police commissioner Dato Mancha Ata said the report was received on Nov 22.

“In mid-September this year, the victim received a call from an unidentified male individual who claimed to be from PosLaju. The victim was informed by the suspect that a shipment bearing her name had arrived, containing a debit card that belonged to someone else.

“She was then connected to ‘Sergeant Ling’, who claimed to be a police officer from Bukit Aman. The suspect then informed the victim that investigations had revealed her involvement in money laundering activities, alleging that the victim had received commissions amounting to RM300,000.

“The phone call was then connected again to an ‘Inspector Khoo’, who stated that the victim’s identity card had been used to open a bank account in Kedah. The suspect also stated that the bank account was used to receive a RM300,000 commission payment and that the victim would be arrested,” Mancha said.

He went on to say that the victim was told to keep the matter a secret in order to avoid arrest by the police.

“The suspect also informed the victim that she could file an appeal with the superior and that she could fully cooperate with the investigation. The phone line was then connected to a man named ‘Mr Chung’, who asked the victim to list all of her bank accounts and then instructed her to open a new bank account and transfer all of her money into it for review by the Bank Negara.

“The victim proceeded to open a new bank account at a financial institution. She then transferred all her money, which amounted to approximately RM170,000, from her Employees Provident Fund (EPF) account and insurance to this bank account at the end of September this year.

“The victim was also instructed not to check the bank account prior to having to report to the suspect on a daily basis and to keep the matter hidden from others.”

Mancha stated that the victim discovered she had been scammed after checking the money in the account on Nov 21 and discovering that approximately RM170,000 had been transferred out to seven bank accounts in the names of unknown individuals between September and October 2023.

He added that the victim had filed a police report to initiate further investigation. — DayakDaily