GEORGE TOWN: Two company directors in Penang have lost a combined total of nearly RM900,000 after falling victim to separate phone scam syndicates involving impersonation tactics.
Penang police chief Datuk Azizee Ismail said the first case involved a 69-year-old woman who lost RM457,607 after being deceived by individuals posing as officers from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and the police.
The victim, who was at her home in Simpang Ampat, received a call on March 1 from a man claiming her bank account was linked to a criminal case.
She was later connected to another suspect, impersonating a police officer from Bukit Aman, who accused her of involvement in money laundering and drug trafficking.
She was told an arrest warrant had been issued in her name and was instructed to cooperate by providing her banking details and withdrawing her savings for "investigation purposes," with assurances the money would be returned.
On March 11, she handed over RM168,477 in cash to an unknown individual in Taman Tambun Indah, followed by another RM289,130 on March 13 to a different suspect in the same area.
"The suspects continued to demand more money, which raised the victim's suspicions. She later realised she had been scammed and lodged a police report," Azizee said.
In a separate case, a 47-year-old male company director lost RM433,230.91 after being duped by a scammer posing as a foreign business associate.
The victim received a message on Tuesday (March 24) from an international number claiming to be "Dag Rasmussen," allegedly a major shareholder of a Norwegian company known to him. The suspect offered him an opportunity to invest in the acquisition of a company in Hong Kong.
The victim was then contacted via WhatsApp and email by another individual posing as a London-based lawyer, who provided documents for a supposed confidential agreement.
Believing the deal to be genuine, the victim transferred RM433,230.91 from his company account to a Hong Kong bank account on the same day.
He later became suspicious after conducting checks and confirmed with the real individual that no such transaction existed.
Both cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. - Bernama
