KUANTAN: A university student here lost RM147,000 after falling victim to a phone scam syndicate that impersonated representatives of an online sales platform and police officers last month.
Pahang police chief Comm Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman, said that the 20-year-old male victim received a phone call on Jan 23 from an individual claiming to be from the shopping platform, who alleged that the victim had advertised illegal items.
Comm Yahaya said the victim's call was then switched to an individual pretending to be a police officer, who accused him of involvement in money laundering activities.
"The fraudster directed the victim to transfer money to avoid arrest and to clear his record of any criminal charges. The victim transferred a total of RM47,000 to three different accounts," he said.
"The victim also handed over his mother's gold jewellery, valued at approximately RM100,000, to an unidentified woman near his residential area."
Comm Othman added that the victim realised he had been scammed when his mother questioned the disappearance of her jewellery and the draining of his bank savings. – Bernama
