NILAI: A senior citizen has lost almost RM180,000 in a phone scam here after she was told that her bank account had been used for money laundering activities.
Nilai police chief Supt Abdul Malik Hasim said the victim, who is in her 60s, had received a phone call from an individual claiming to be an officer probing a money laundering case from Kuala Lumpur and another man claiming to be from the Johor Baru district police station on July 25.
"The callers told the victim that her bank account had been used to launder money.
"They then advised her to transfer her savings totalling RM178,700 into five different accounts to allow the authorities to probe the case," he said in a statement.
Supt Abdul Malik said the victim only realised that she had been duped after she told her husband about the case. She lodged a report on Aug 21.
He said the case was being investigated 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.
Supt Abdul Malik advised the public to be extra careful and to always check with the authorities when they receive such calls.
The public, he said, can use the Semakmule portal (https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my) to verify and check the list of mule bank accounts, phone numbers, and shell companies before they transfer any cash online.
