Over the past number of years, Malaysia has witnessed a large wave of victims who have succumbed to the ploys of various scam call syndicates or hacking operations, leading to losses in the tens of millions. And while one may try our best to stay vigilant and avoid these nefarious schemes, some may sometimes fail to realise that they have been caught in a scam until it is too late.
M’sian businessman loses RM1 million to scammer after allegedly answering a call for 14 seconds
Among some of the latest victims to have experienced this first-hand include a local businessman who sought out for help from Sarawak state DAP chairman Mr Chong Chieng Jen, after losing a whopping RM1 million in savings to a scam syndicate.
According to a press conference livestream that was held on the matter, the businessman, surnamed Lee, claims that he lost the eye-watering figure in 14 seconds after answering a random call he received that turned out to be from a scammer.
“I received a call and when I picked it up, the caller claimed that I have a package sent and they needed my banking password to proceed with the parcel.” he said.
Source: Chong Chieng Jen (Facebook)
Sensing something amiss, Lee immediately terminated the phone call. However to his shock and chagrin, he realised that two unauthorised withdrawal transactions of RM500,000 each were made from his account upon reviewing his statement online. Lee then immediately filed a police report before contacting his bank to notify them of the matter.
In the Facebook Live session, Lee questioned the security that banking institutions in the country provided to account holders in the wake of his personal experience, especially when the public are meant to put their faith in keeping their money safe.
“If banks aren’t immune to frauds and scam calls, where else can an average individual store their savings?” he said.
Source: Chong Chieng Jen (Facebook)
Following that, Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) special assistant Michael Kong and his colleague Sim Kiat Long pledged to assist Lee in seeking compensation from the bank and recovering his stolen funds. Michael also pointed out that in most cases, an individual wishing to withdraw RM20,000 from the bank would be typically required to fill out a form first.
“If it’s so much hassle to withdraw RM20,000, how could it be so easy to transfer over RM500,000 per transaction in less than 2 minutes?” he said, adding that the government should take swift action in curbing such cases.
Here’s a reminder to always be vigilant when it comes to calls and texts from unknown numbers. Please refrain from clicking into any links sent from unknown numbers and always contact the bank and police immediately if you encounter any unusual activity on your accounts.
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