Beware of conmen organising donation drives, public advised

KUALA LUMPUR: The public is advised to be careful when making donations for flood victims as there might be people taking advantage of Malaysians’ generosity.

Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said such donation drives would usually receive positive response from the public.

“The police are not ruling out the possibility of certain individuals taking advantage of the floods by accepting donations for their own use.

“While there have been no reports on the matter yet, we advise the public to be more careful to ensure the funds are channelled to the needy,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Comm Mohd Kamarudin said the floods had caused many to lose belongings and even their homes.

“There are various donation initiatives being carried out by political parties, NGOs, private companies and individuals to assist flood victims.

“The police are monitoring donations, especially those conducted through the Internet.

“Any suspicious activity will be investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code,” he said.

Comm Mohd Kamarudin urged those with information on any donation fraud to contact the police through the CCID Scam Response Centre at 03-2610 1559/1599 or the nearest police station.

Separately, the floods which hit several states in the country had claimed 41 lives, while eight people were still missing.

The persons – seven men and a boy – were reported missing in Pahang.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said Selangor recorded the highest number of deaths at 25, followed by Pahang (15) and Kelantan (one).

He said the fatalities in the floods in Selangor comprised 17 men and eight women, while in Pahang the victims were eight men, five women and two boys.

The casualty in Kelantan was a man, he said in a statement.