A 70-year-old retiree in Dungun lost over RM420,000 after scammers posing as TNB and police officers accused him of money laundering.
DUNGUN: A 70-year-old retiree lost RM420,410.48 to a sophisticated phone scam involving individuals posing as officials from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and the police.
The victim received a call on Nov 26 from a person claiming to be a TNB representative from Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
He was told his name had been used to register a TNB meter at an address in Pahang, a claim he denied.
His call was then purportedly transferred to the Pahang contingent police headquarters and later to Bukit Aman.
A man claiming to be a police sergeant informed the retiree his name was linked to a money laundering case.
He was instructed to liaise with two police officers to resolve the matter.
The victim was told to transfer all his money for verification to determine if the funds were linked to illicit activities.
He subsequently made 11 transactions into seven different bank accounts.
The retiree also handed over his bank card and personal identification number (PIN) to two individuals posing as police officers near his home.
He realised he had been scammed when his money was not returned as promised.
The victim lodged a police report at the Dungun district police headquarters’ Commercial Crime Investigation Division.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
