KUCHING: A 64-year-old woman in Miri has lost RM334,964 after falling victim to an online scam syndicate posing as government authorities.
Miri police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah confirmed the case was reported yesterday after the victim received a phone call from an unknown number.
The caller introduced himself as an officer from the Putrajaya National Anti-Drugs Agency and falsely claimed the victim was involved in a fraud syndicate.
The victim was then connected to another individual posing as a police officer from the Perlis Police Headquarters.
She was told they needed to conduct a property verification, which required her to transfer all her savings into a provided bank account for investigation purposes.
The elderly woman subsequently made several cash transactions via a bank counter, using her entire savings and loans obtained from relatives.
She only realised she had been deceived after conducting her own checks and verifications following the transactions.
Mohd Farhan stated the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
He advised the public to remain vigilant and not easily fall for telephone calls or instructions from individuals claiming to be authorities requesting money transfers to unknown accounts. – Bernama
