SARATOK: Three individuals, including two women, have been arrested for their alleged involvement as mule account holders in several phone scam cases that caused victims in Penang and Sabah to lose tens of thousands of ringgit.
Saratok OCPD Deputy Supt Mathew Manggie said the arrests were made on Oct 6 under Ops Kesan by a team from the Saratok district commercial crime investigation division.
“The operation successfully led to the arrest of one man and two women who are suspected of allowing their bank accounts to be used by syndicates for fraudulent transactions,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (Oct 7)
The first arrest involved a 25-year-old man suspected of being the account holder used in a phone scam case in Penang, which caused a victim to lose RM3,500.
The second suspect, a 23-year-old local woman, was allegedly involved in a phone scam where the caller impersonated a police officer, leading a victim in Keningau, Sabah, to suffer losses amounting to RM14,400.
In the third case, a 33-year-old woman was detained for suspected involvement in a non-existent loan scam which caused a victim in Sabah to lose RM27,460.
“All three suspects are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. They have been released on police bail while investigations continue,” DSP Mathew added.
He reminded the public to remain vigilant and not to easily trust phone calls or messages requesting personal or banking information, stressing that genuine authorities would never ask for such details.
