CHUKAI: A factory supervisor lost RM537,000 after falling victim to a sophisticated phone scam syndicate.
The 59-year-old victim received a call on 31 August last year from individuals impersonating an insurance agent and a police officer.
The suspects falsely claimed he had made a fraudulent insurance claim at a private hospital in Selangor and faced legal action.
They instructed him to open a new bank account and transfer RM400,000 from his Employees Provident Fund savings into it.
The victim was also coerced into granting the suspects access to this account to avoid supposed arrest.
Between 9 February and 12 September this year, he made an additional 56 transactions totalling RM137,000 to 30 different accounts under continued threats.
He realised he had been scammed when he could no longer contact the suspects for updates on his fabricated case.
A check revealed that all the EPF funds in the new account had completely vanished.
Further police investigation identified 21 separate transfers to eight different accounts between 5 and 11 September 2024.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for the offence of cheating.
Kemaman police chief Superintendent Mohd Razi Rosli urged the public to always contact the National Scam Response Centre at 997 to verify information before transferring money to any third-party accounts. – Bernama
