NILAI: A government retiree and a housewife have been cheated of almost RM350,000 in separate phone scams here.
Nilai police chief Supt Abdul Malik Hasim said their ordeal began early this month after they received phone calls from strangers claiming to be police.
The 66-year-old man lost about RM163,000 while the woman, aged 54, was duped of RM186,000.
Both were accused of being involved in money laundering and drug-related activities by the callers.
“Using the same modus operandi the callers told the victims that arrest warrants had been issued under their names,” Supt Abdul Malik said in a statement.
The victims, who denied any involvement in illegal activities, were then told to transfer their savings into several bank accounts while the police investigated the matter.
Between March 3 and 22, they transferred the money via nine transactions into eight bank accounts.
However, they realised that they had been scammed and lodged separate police reports on Monday.
The cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
The offence carries a jail term of between one and 10 years, whipping and a fine, upon conviction.
Supt Abdul Malik reminded the public to be cautious and not to quickly believe that the person calling them is a government officer but to always check with the police first. The public can call the CCID Scam Response Centre at 03-2610 1559 or 03-2610 1599.
