RECENTLY, it has been said online that scammers are targeting elderly women out on their own with a new "cash aid" trick. Is this really happening?
VERDICT:
TRUE
Speaking to warn about the scam, Pertubuhan Amal Uncle Kentang president Kuan Chee Heng said one elderly woman in SS2, Petaling Jaya, lost RM79,000 from her bank account.
“The scammers mention the general election to trick their victims.
“A man would first entice an elderly woman with RM200 cash and say that a YB (politician) would give more but he would have to follow her home to get her bank account and password details.
“Having gained her trust, he would then accompany the victim to the bank, pretend to be her relative and get her to withdraw almost her entire savings,” he said.
In this particular incident, Kuan said the elderly woman was left with only RM400 and she had two disabled siblings to care for.
The social activist, who is popularly known as Uncle Kentang, said these scams appeared to take place in both Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur, with several incidents reported in Bangsar.
A team from Pertubuhan Amal Uncle Kentang joined officers from the Brickfields police station to distribute flyers at the Overseas Union Garden morning market in Kuala Lumpur to alert shoppers and traders about the scam.
Brickfields OCPD Asst Comm Amihizam Abdul Shukor said: “We are trying our best to create community awareness of possible scam tactics.”
He advised the public not to entertain strangers or trust them with personal and banking details.
If they are uncertain, they can call the nearest police station for advice.
