There can be no denying the fact that scam operations are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and complex, oftentimes eluding even the most wary victims until its too late. Long gone are the days of poorly written emails and automated phone calls, with many scammers now orchestrating elaborate scenarios to ensnare the vulnerable.
And in one most recent case, they even went so far as to trap a local schoolteacher in plot of their own creation by pretending to be a policeman, an insurance agent, and even a public prosecutor.
51yo M’sian teacher got RM91,400 siphoned out of her account by scammers
A statement issued by Pahang police chief, Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf, recently revealed that the 51-year-old victim had received a call from a scammer portraying as an insurance agent back on February 24th. At the time, the victim was toldd that a RM68,000 insurance claim was filed under her name at Ampang Puteri Hospital.
As one would expect, the victim denied that such a claim was made, but the scammer remained persistent and transferred her call to a ‘police officer’ for further action. But things didn’t just stop there, as apparently in a bid to convince the victim of the legitimacy behind the insurance claim, the ‘police officer’ proceeded to escalate the matter to a ‘deputy public prosecutor’.
Source: Polis Pahang (Facebook)
In a state of panic, the victim followed through with the instructions given to her by the scammers, which included changing to a new bank card and updating her Transaction Authorisation Code (TAC) number. Inevitably, this gave the criminals access to conduct transactions using her account.
“The victim gave her banking particulars as requested and subsequently made four cash transfers totalling RM91,400 to an account given by the suspect,” said Ramli.
The money that was siphoned out was then wired into her account before being withdrawn by the scammers after a month’s time, reported local newspaper NST.
“A total of RM91,400 was siphoned out from her Tabung Haji Account, Aeon Credit loan and a fund raised from pawning jewellery”,
As of now, local police are investigating the case after the victim lodged a report at the Jerantut police station upon realising she was scammed. The case will now be probed under the Section 420 under the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
Source: The Sun Daily
Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf then further advised the public to be wary of any suspicious phone calls to avoid falling victim to similar scam attempts.
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