Retiree left RM216,000 poorer in phone scam

PADAWAN: A retiree lost RM216,000 of his retirement savings after being led into believing that he was involved in money laundering.

According to the man in his mid-60s, he received a phone call from an individual named Umi Hani, supposedly from DHL Melaka.

The suspect informed him that he had sent a parcel containing a cheque book and a token from Melaka to Kedah.

The suspect also claimed that the parcel had been handed over to the police and that the victim needed to file a police report online as a denial.

Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata said the call was later connected to one Insp Lai from Bukit Aman police headquarters, who informed him that he was involved in a money laundering case.

“Following that, the suspect told the victim that he could help investigate the case and that the case would later be referred to one Datuk Ling, who is the senior investigating officer

“The suspect also instructed the man to withdraw all of his retirement savings and transfer them into several bank accounts for police investigation purposes.

“Driven by panic, the victim did as told and transferred a sum of RM216,000 into five different accounts via eight transactions from the middle of June to the end of June this year,” he said.

Realisation struck that he had been cheated when the suspect told him to keep the matter to himself and to report to the suspect every time.

The victim reported the incident to the police on Sunday (June 30) and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.

In light of this, Mancha urged the public to exercise caution and refrain from responding to unknown phone calls.

He also advised the public not to succumb to panic or fear in the face of unfounded allegations, and not to disclose banking information to unknown parties to ensure their financial security.