GEORGE TOWN: A retiree from a factory in Bayan Lepas near here lost RM696,513.50 after she fell victim to a phone scam recently.
Penang police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the 65-year-old woman lodged a police report at the Commercial Crime Investigation Division of the Timur Laut district police headquarters on Monday after realising she had been deceived by the syndicate.
“The victim said she was at her home in George Town when she received a phone call on May 12 from a man who introduced himself as a representative of a bank, and informed her that there was a misuse of the Platinum Mastercard credit card registered in her name.
“The woman denied having the credit card before the call was purportedly connected to a police station in Johor, where a ‘police officer’ warned the victim that she was involved in a money laundering case, and asked her to hand over all her money for audit,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Hamzah said the ‘police officer’ also assured her that all her money will be returned after the investigation was completed, but if she failed to do so, an arrest warrant will be issued.
Out of fear and panic, he said the victim made 27 online money transfer transactions into three bank accounts from May 19 to June 5, involving a total of RM696,513.50.
He added that the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
