GEORGE TOWN: A female stockbroker lost RM1.24 million to a phone scam syndicate that alleged she was under investigation for money laundering.
Penang deputy police chief Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin said the Commercial Crime Investigation Division of the Northeast district police headquarters received a report from the 47-year-old local woman yesterday.
“According to the victim, on June 20, while she was at her office in George Town, she received a phone call from an unknown number and spoke to a woman who claimed to be from Pos Laju Malaysia.
“The caller informed her that a package containing an identity card, ATM card, and cheque book was sent under her name from Kuching, Sarawak to Terengganu, and the package had been detained by the police,” he said in a statement today.
The call was then allegedly redirected to a police station in Terengganu, where the victim spoke to another individual posing as a police officer. She was told that her bank account was suspected of being involved in a money laundering case.
Mohd Alwi said the ‘police officer’ also instructed the woman to surrender all her money for auditing purposes and assured that it would be returned once the investigation was completed.
He said the suspect also threatened the woman, warning that a warrant for her arrest would be issued if she failed to comply.
“Out of fear, the victim then made 26 online fund transfers into five different bank accounts provided by the suspect between June 26 and June 30, amounting to RM1.24 million.
“The woman only began to suspect she had been duped after sharing her predicament with family members, who told her it was a scam. She then lodged a police report to enable an investigation to be carried out,” he said.
He added that further investigations are underway, including efforts to trace the syndicate’s network. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
