KUALA BERANG: A teacher has lost RM144,152 after being scammed by a man posing as an officer from the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) last month.
Hulu Terengganu OCPD Supt Sharudin Abdul Wahab said the suspect contacted the 56-year-old victim on Nov 17 and alleged that she was involved in the circulation of fake government aid links and money laundering activities.
He said the suspect instructed the victim to hand over her ATM card and PIN, purportedly for police investigations.
"On Dec 4, the suspect contacted the victim again and told her to place the ATM card at a signboard behind a school.
"Out of fear of legal action and imprisonment, the victim panicked and complied without verifying the claim,” he said in a statement on Friday (Dec 26).
Supt Sharudin said the victim realised she had been scammed after discovering that RM144,152 from her savings was missing.
Checks showed that five unauthorised withdrawals were made by unknown individuals between Dec 4 and 8.
He said the victim lodged a police report on Wednesday (Dec 24), and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
He advised the public to remain vigilant and to verify suspicious calls or messages with the police, the Semak Mule portal, the Securities Commission of Malaysia, or Bank Negara Malaysia’s Alert List. – Bernama
