RM245,500 gone: Miri woman conned by fake govt agency tender scheme

File photo for illustration purposes only. Photo credit: Pixabay

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, May 15: A 61-year-old local woman in Miri lost RM245,500 to a scam involving a non-existent tender offer using the name of a government agency.

In a media release, Miri District Police Chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said that the victim, who was involved in the construction business, was dealing with a suspect impersonating an officer from a government agency who offered her a tender to supply electronic goods.

“The modus operandi of this case involved requesting goods that were outside the victim’s field of business and providing the contact number of a second suspect for the procurement of the requested items, as instructed by the first suspect.

“The victim made four transactions into a third-party bank account provided by the suspect, amounting to a total loss of RM245,500. The victim only realised she had been scammed after discovering that the tender did not exist following verification with the relevant agency,” he said.

Investigations are being conducted under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which carries a punishment of imprisonment for not less than one year and not more than ten years, whipping, and a fine.

Any information regarding the case can be channelled to the investigating officer, Inspector Shoban Rajendran, at 016-4260529.

Meanwhile, the public has been advised to remain cautious of tender offers from any government or private agency and to verify immediately with the relevant parties before making any decisions or payments.

The public is also encouraged to contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 if they become victims of cyber fraud, such as phone scams, love scams, e-commerce scams, non-existent loan scams, and others, especially if they have just made money transfer transactions to mule accounts or scam syndicates.

In addition, the public may check suspicious phone numbers and bank accounts through the CCID Scam Checker or via the website before conducting any financial transactions.

The public is also advised to download the Whoscall application via the Google Play Store for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices, which enables phone numbers listed in the Commercial Crime Investigation Division mule account database system to be identified as scammers. — DayakDaily