Senior citizen loses RM173,500 savings to phone scam

SEREMBAN: A 66-year-old woman has lost RM173,500 in a phone scam here.

Seremban police chief Asst Comm Mohamad Hatta Che Din said the victim lodged a report on Wednesday upon realising that she had been duped.

“It was the same scenario as in previous cases, where the victim received a call from an individual claiming to be from a courier company.

“The caller told her that there was a suspicious looking package for her, and then somehow ‘transferred’ the call to another individual who was ‘a police officer’,” he said in a statement yesterday.

ACP Mohamad Hatta said the individual impersonating the cop then told the victim that she had a record of being involved in money laundering.

She was also told that a warrant had been issued for her arrest.

The frightened victim was then told to transfer her savings into several accounts pending a probe.

“The victim did as instructed and moved her money into the accounts given by the individuals believed to be members of a syndicate.

“The victim only realised that she had been scammed after she could no longer contact them over the phone,” he said.

The case is being probed under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which carries a jail term of between one and 10 years, whipping, and a fine, upon conviction.

“We would again wish to remind the public to exercise caution when they receive such calls,” he said.

ACP Mohamad Hatta said the public can also contact the police’s Scam Response Centre at 03-2610 1559/2610 1599 to verify any information.