PETALING JAYA: A 20-year-old student was tricked into transferring RM47,000 and surrendering his mother’s RM100,000 worth of jewellery after falling victim to a sophisticated scam earlier this month.
The victim, a higher learning institution student from Kuantan, was targeted by fraudsters posing as a Shopee agent and a police officer.
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According to Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman, the scam began on January 23, when the student received a phone call from someone claiming to be a Shopee agent.
“The caller told the victim that he had been utilising the platform to advertise items illegally before being transferred to another person, who introduced himself as a police officer,“ he told New Straits Times.
The fake officer then accused the victim of being involved in money laundering and threatened him with arrest unless he transferred funds to clear his name.
“The bogus policeman told the victim that he was involved in money laundering activities. The policeman instructed the victim to transfer some money to avoid arrest and clear his criminal records.”
In fear of being detained, the victim followed the instructions and transferred RM47,000 from his mother’s savings into three different bank accounts provided by the scammer.
The fraudsters didn’t stop there.
On January 30, they contacted the victim again, this time demanding that he hand over his mother’s jewellery, valued at RM100,000.
The victim complied and met an unfamiliar woman near his home, passing the precious items to her.
“The victim met a woman he had never seen before near his home and handed over the valuables to her that same day,“ he said.
“When his mother began to question the missing jewellery and low funds in her bank account, the victim realised he had been cheated and revealed the truth to the family.
“He lodged a police report here yesterday (Jan 31),“ he said, adding the case is being investigated for cheating,” he stated.
He urged the public to stay alert and protect themselves from scams by verifying phone numbers and account details through https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my before making any online financial transactions.
