PADAWAN: A retired civil servant who was gripped by fear and anxiety ended up losing RM120,000 to a phone scam recently.
The scam unfolded in the middle of June around 3.45pm when the man in his early 60s received a call while at home.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri said the call was from an individual claiming to be a health officer from the Kedah hospital.
“The alleged health officer informed the victim that he had a record of taking a significant amount of medication from the hospital.
“Shortly after, the call was transferred to a person named Insp Wan Ameena, supposedly from the Kedah police headquarters.
“During the conversation, the victim was taken aback to learn that he was being implicated in a money laundering case and the alleged inspector insisted that the victim could face imminent arrest and subsequent legal prosecution,” he said.
The victim was instructed to cooperate by providing his bank account details ostensibly for further investigation. The victim naively disclosed his bank’s ATM card number and PIN to the scammer.
Mohd Azman added that the victim was instructed to withdraw RM120,000 from his ASB account and deposit the money into his own bank account.
The victim was warned not to contact any other individuals or entities while the supposed investigation was underway, instilling a sense of urgency and secrecy.
Blinded by fear and anxiety, the man complied with the suspect’s demands, without suspecting anything.
It was only on July 3 that he realised he had been cheated when he discovered that the sum of RM120,000 had been depleted from his bank account.
“The money was transferred into an unknown individual’s bank account via five transactions between July 1 and 2.
“Shocked, the victim came forward and filed a police report for further investigation,” he said.
