MELAKA: An elderly woman is believed to be part of a syndicate involved in cheating tyre shops here, says Melaka Chief Minister’s special secretary Yong Fun Juan.
Yong said in the latest case, a 33-year-old clerk of a tyre outlet in Durian Tunggal here was conned out of RM28,000 by a member of the syndicate on Aug 3.
“The fraudster claiming to be a managing director of a wood factory placed an order online for 20 lorry tyres and issued a purchasing order and cheque to the tyre shop.
“The cheque was deposited on the same day as the order and the clerk of the tyre shop was told that it would take three days for the bank clearance before she can receive the money,” he said on Thursday (Aug 11).
Yong said on Aug 5 morning, a driver from an on-demand delivery platform reached the outlet to collect the tyres.
“The clerk then checked with her shop’s accountant and was told the cheque has been deposited into the company’s account but yet to be cleared.
“The scammer also told the clerk that she needed the tyres to be delivered urgently and the cheque will be cleared by the evening,” he said.
Yong said the clerk allowed the consignment to be delivered to a factory in Seri Kembangan, Selangor.
However, the delivery driver was asked to deliver the tyres along a roadside in Selangor and upon reaching the site, the driver was asked by an elderly woman to load the consignment into another lorry.
Yong said the clerk quickly contacted the scammer when she received a notice that the cheque had bounced back but her calls went unanswered before she lodged a police report at the Tanjung Minyak police station at 10.30pm on Aug 5.
He said the delivery driver described the woman as someone in her early 70s.
Yong said similar cheating cases targeting tyre shops here had been rampant based on the feedback from Melaka Tyre Shop Owners Association.
“However, this was the first time where the consignment was delivered before the payment was made,” he added.
