Teacher loses over RM254,000 to Macau scam

KOTA KINABALU: Tricked into believing that her name was misused, a teacher in her 30s from the Sipitang district lost over RM254,000 to a Macau scam recently.

The scam began when she received a call from a person claiming to be from the Inland Revenue Board, saying she had over RM38,500 in overdue unpaid taxes.

The caller claimed that these unpaid taxes were for a company registered under her name and then connected the victim to someone claiming to be a police sergeant from Kuala Lumpur.

Sipitang OCPD Deputy Supt Champin Piuh said the scammer told the victim that there was also a bank account linked to her holding laundered money amounting to RM312,000.

“The caller asked for her personal information and banking details for investigation under anti-money laundering laws," said DSP Champin.

He added that the victim was told to transfer RM254,600 "for safety reasons" between March 14 and 26 to six bank accounts provided by the caller.

DSP Champin said the victim only realised she had been cheated on March 30, and immediately lodged a report.

“She was afraid that the documents she provided to the scammers would be abused,” he said.

He said this was the third such case reported in the district this year, the earlier ones involving an education officer and a health officer.

The case was being investigated for cheating, he added.

DSP Champin urged the public to be wary of suspicious calls and to double-check with the authorities if they have any doubts.

The term “Macau scam” was coined because it is believed that it originated from Macau or that the first victims came from there. This has never been confirmed.

The scam often starts with a phone call from someone pretending to be an officer from a bank, government agency or debt collector.

The scammer will then claim that the potential victim owes money or has an unpaid fine, often with a very short window of less than an hour, to settle the payment or face “dire consequences”.

These unsuspecting victims will then be asked to make payments to get them off the hook.