KUALA LUMPUR: A businesswoman received threats of legal action, leading her to deposit her savings of more than RM100,000 to scammers.
On Feb 2, Lee Kim Chooi, 46, received a call claiming to be from Terengganu TNB, stating that the electricity at her property there would be cut off.
The peculiar fact though was that she owned no property at the state.
After informing that to the supposed officer, she was forwarded to a “Sarjan Albert Lai” who told her that she was involved in a money laundering operation.
After numerous correspondences, she was told on Feb 14 that she would be arrested if she didn’t pay RM40,000.
After making the payment, she was contacted on Feb 16 for another RM20,000, supposedly as bail.
The money was paid again and the scammers used counterfeit government letters and receipts to sell the lie further.
Between Feb 20 and 28, Lee deposited a further RM40,000 into four accounts.
“I was scared because of the letters,” she told the media at a press conference here at Wisma MCA on Friday (May 26).
On March 18, she was contacted by yet another “police inspector” claiming that she had a chance to get her money back plus a little more as a reward if she helped him with their investigation.
She was told that they had a breakthrough in the case and she could sue a bank manager who was the main suspect that had used her details for money laundering.
Their contact lasted until March 24.
All she had to do was make another payment of RM38,000 by taking a loan, and that after suing the “suspect”, she would be rewarded with RM200,000.
However, after the money was paid, the “officers” became uncontactable.
She finally revealed all to her husband who then brought her to the Kepong police station on May 15.
In total, she lost RM131,500 to the scammers.
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, who organised the press conference, said the scammers preyed on her by using the fake court documents as a tool.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg. As of today, we have six people coming forward to me to complain about being scammed.
“But if you count the victims who call me but refuse to come forward, it’s countless,” he said.
He added that Lee was not confident that she would ever get her money back, but came forward so that other victims would be more aware.
