KUANTAN: A female teacher lost RM135,150 after being deceived by a phone scam syndicate.

Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said initially the 25-year-old woman received a phone call from an individual claiming to be an officer from the Digital Communications Department, Network Blocking Division on July 2.

He said the victim was told that the phone number she was using had spread an invalid link in Perak.

“Then the phone call was connected to a suspect posing as a police officer who asked the victim to transfer money for the purpose of the investigation,” he said in a media statement today.

“The victim who was deceived took out a personal loan of RM128,000, in addition to using her savings to make 11 transactions to six different bank accounts resulting in losses amounting to RM135,150.”

Yahaya said the victim realised she had been duped when she checked on the Google application related to online fraud before lodging a police report at the Rompin district police headquarters yesterday, and the case is being investigated according to Section 420 of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, he advised the public who received suspicious calls to immediately check with the police or the relevant government agency to avoid becoming victims of fraud.