KUALA TERENGGANU: A trader lost RM83,500 after falling victim to a phone scam.
Terengganu OCPD Asst Comm Azli Mohd Noor said the man was in his office on Oct 1 when he was contacted by a suspect posing as a Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) officer.
ACP Azli said the suspect claimed that the victim's name had been used by a fraud syndicate in Kemaman to carry out illegal activities.
"The call was then transferred to the suspect's accomplice, who posed as a police officer and claimed that the 35-year-old victim was involved in money laundering and mule account offences.
"To clear his name, the victim was told to transfer all his money from his savings account to an account provided by the suspect, supposedly for auditing and investigation purposes," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Oct 8).
Azli said the victim panicked, and followed the instructions given by the suspect by transferring his money from his savings account, Tabung Haji account and his business returns totalling RM83,500 into three different accounts on Tuesday.
Azli added that the victim, who realised he had been duped, then lodged a police report at 6.17pm and that the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code. - Bernama
