SENIOR CITIZEN LOSES NEARLY RM6 MILLION TO PHONE SCAM

SHAH ALAM, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- A senior citizen lost nearly RM6 million after falling victim to a phone scam.

Selangor Police Chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said the 73-year-old victim, a private sector retiree, received a call in May from a man claiming to be from the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NFCC) in Putrajaya, telling her she was involved in a money-laundering case.

He said the call was transferred to another suspect, who introduced himself as a senior police officer from the Sarawak contingent police headquarters and told the victim to declare her assets and savings.

“In June, the victim was instructed to open four bank accounts at Affin Bank, Alliance Bank, AmBank, and Bank Simpanan Nasional. She was then told to deposit her savings into the newly opened accounts.

“She was then told to place all her ATM cards in an envelope and leave it at a playground in USJ 22/1 and to provide her banking information to the suspects,” he said in a statement today.

Shazeli said the victim only realised she had been duped after telling her child, who told her that it was a scam, by which time she had lost a total of RM5,996,586.51.

He urged the public to be vigilant against scams involving impersonation of government officials online, stressing that authorities never conduct transactions over the phone and that all dealings are carried out in person at police stations or relevant government offices.

Shazeli also reminded the public not to disclose personal information such as identity card numbers,  one time passcode (OTP) or transaction authorisation code (TAC) or passwords over phone calls or messages, and never to transfer money to unknown individuals.

The public should always check the authenticity of such calls by contacting the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 for verification, advice, or to lodge a report, he said, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.

-- BERNAMA