KUANTAN: A teacher lost RM270,120 after falling victim to a phone scam syndicate posing as courier company representatives and the police in July.
Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the 31-year-old woman received a call from an individual claiming to be from a courier company. The individual allegedly said that a package addressed to her contained three identity cards and seven ATM cards.
After the victim denied any knowledge of the package, the call was redirected to another person claiming to be a police officer, who instructed her to apply for personal loans from several banks to supposedly assist in an investigation.
"She was further instructed to transfer all the loaned funds to an AMLA (Anti-Money Laundering Authority) account and report herself daily throughout the investigation period. Between July 29 and March 9, the victim made 18 transfers to 16 bank accounts, totalling RM270,120.50," he said in a statement on Wednesday (April 9).
On April 7, the victim attempted to verify the matter with the police and was informed that she had been scammed. The funds involved were sourced from her savings, personal loans, and loans from family members.
Yahaya urged the public to immediately verify suspicious calls with the police or relevant government agencies to avoid falling prey to such scams. – Bernama
