DUNGUN: A retiree lost RM420,410.48 after being tricked into believing he was involved in a money laundering case by suspects claiming to be from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and the police.
Dungun OCPD Supt Maizura Abdul Kadir said the 70-year-old victim received a call on Nov 26 from a suspect claiming to be a representative from TNB Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
The suspect alleged that the victim's name had been used to register a TNB meter at an address in Pahang.
Supt Maizura said the victim denied the claim and the call was then "put through" to the Pahang contingent police headquarters, where he spoke to a man claiming to be a sergeant, before his call was transferred again, this time to "Bukit Aman".
"The complainant was told that his name was linked to a money laundering case and instructed to liaise with two police officers to resolve the matter.
"He was told to transfer all his money for verification purposes, purportedly to determine whether or not the funds were linked to money laundering activities,” she said in a statement on Tuesday (Jan 6).
Supt Maizura said the victim later made 11 transactions into seven different bank accounts and even handed over his bank card and personal identification number (PIN) to two individuals posing as police officers at a location near his home.
"The complainant realised that he had been scammed when his money was not returned as promised," she said.
The victim lodged a report at the Dungun district police headquarters’ Commercial Crime Investigation Division on Monday (Jan 5) and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, she added. – Bernama
