KUALA LUMPUR: From banks to courthouses and police stations, scammers appear to “represent” just about any organisation under the sun.
A few weeks ago, a scammer even claimed to be an officer from the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC), the very entity set up to coordinate quick response in dealing with online financial fraud.
“The victim received a phone call from a woman introducing herself as an officer from the NSRC,” said Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa (pic) in a statement.
“Apparently, the caller told the victim that his phone number had been misused to disseminate links related to government financial aid.”
Comm Rusdi said the victim was then connected to another person, who claimed to be a police officer.
The so-called policeman told the victim that he was allegedly involved in a money laundering case, claiming that an individual had been arrested and that the victim’s name was linked as the owner of a mule account in the case.
Comm Rusdi said the phone call resulted in the victim surrendering an ATM card and PIN number, as instructed by the caller.
The victim was told to place his ATM card at a designated location on Dec 4, to be handed over to the police for investigation purposes.
“After doing so, the victim later discovered that the funds in his bank account had been gradually withdrawn without his knowledge or consent,” he said.
A police report was lodged on Dec 24.
Comm Rusdi stressed that the NSRC, which was established in October 2022, operates as a one-way communication call centre that only accepts calls from the public.
“The NSRC does not contact individuals via phone calls or through messaging applications such as WhatsApp.
“As such, any calls or messages claiming to represent the NSRC are purely fraudulent,” he said.
He also emphasised that the police do not conduct investigations solely through phone calls.
“Individuals required to assist in investigations will be formally summoned to the investigating officer’s office for further inquiry.
“We advise the public to remain vigilant, refrain from disclosing personal or banking information to unknown parties, and to immediately lodge a police report if they suspect they have fallen victim to a scam,” he said.
According to the website of the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre, the NSRC is a joint venture between the CC, the police force, Bank Negara, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission as well as financial institutions and the telecommunications industry.
“The NSRC brings together resources and expertise from all these parties to combat financial fraud more quickly and effectively,” it said.
