KUCHING: A 75-year-old woman lost RM706,000 after falling victim to a phone scam syndicate impersonating government officers and Bank Negara Malaysia officials.
Kuching police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said the woman was at home on Aug 28 when she received a call from a man who identified himself as ‘Sergeant Chong’.
The suspect claimed the woman's identification card was linked to fraud and money laundering offences before transferring the call to another suspect, who introduced himself as ‘Mr. Ling’.
The victim was then instructed via WhatsApp to transfer funds to two company accounts for a purported Bank Negara Malaysia investigation, leading her to make two transactions totalling RM706,000.
Asst Comm Alexson said the victim only realised she had been cheated after recounting the incident to a friend.
A police report was subsequently filed, and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. – Bernama
