KUANTAN: A businesswoman lost RM136,700 after being deceived by scammers posing as a ministry official and a police officer.

Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the 34-year-old woman received a phone call from the suspect on Sept 2, who claimed that her phone number was involved in scam activities.

He said the call was then transferred to another individual who pretended to be a police officer, alleging that the victim was implicated in drug smuggling and money laundering.

“The suspect instructed the victim to download the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) application form to register her banking information and total savings,” Yahaya said.

“Then the victim was instructed to transfer RM136,700 through an ATM in six transactions to two bank accounts provided by the suspect. This amount, which was lost, came from the victim’s savings,” he said in a statement today.

Yahaya advised the public to be cautious of unknown callers and to verify the legitimacy of such requests with the police or relevant government agencies to avoid falling victim to fraud.