KUALA LUMPUR: A syndicate impersonating prison officers to solicit money from inmates’ families and relatives to buy so-called special meals has been exposed by the Prisons Department.
The scam was detected after the department received several complaints from victims who had received suspicious WhatsApp messages from various mobile phone numbers.
The syndicate used fake aliases such as Sjn Haziq, Sjn Akmal, Sjn Nazri, Sjn Zul, Sjn Sani, Sjn Zam and other fabricated names to deceive family members or relatives of inmates.
“It also used multiple mule bank accounts to receive money transactions from their victims,” the Prisons Department said in a statement yesterday, Bernama reported.
The department said the affected families have lodged police reports and pledged to cooperate with the police in the investigation.
It advised families and relatives not to transfer money to unknown individuals or bank accounts and to report any suspicious messages to the police, as well as notify the department for further action.
The department also said that it would not compromise on any negligence or procedural lapses in duty and stressed that strict action would be taken against those responsible.
“The Prisons Department is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of inmates and their families from falling victim to scams.
“The public should remain vigilant and not be deceived by tactics that exploit the department’s name for personal gain.”
