KUALA TERENGGANU: A 31-year-old administrative officer lost RM220,000 after falling victim to a phone scam syndicate in September.
Kuala Terengganu OCPD Asst Comm Azli Mohd Noor said the victim received a call on Sept 3 from a man claiming to be an officer from the money-laundering investigative unit of a major bank.
He said the caller informed the victim that he had allegedly opened a bank account in Johor, which was found to have been used to launder money.
"The call was then connected to an individual identifying himself as 'Sjn Khairudin' from the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters,” ACP Azli said in a statement on Tuesday (Nov 4).
He said the victim was instructed to disclose his personal details, including his bank, Tabung Haji, and Amanah Saham Bumiputra (ASB) account information.
The victim was then referred to a "Rashid", who claimed he could help resolve the issue.
"The victim was told to withdraw RM30,000 from his ASB and Tabung Haji savings and transfer the money to a bank account provided by the suspects on Sept 14.
"He was also instructed to take out a personal loan and subsequently transferred RM190,000 to another account on Oct 8 and 14,” ACP Azli said.
He added that the victim only realised he had been duped after he failed to contact the suspects to obtain updates on the so-called investigation.
He said the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. – Bernama
