KUCHING: The police are still in search for the suspect involved in the recent Macau Scam which happened on Sunday (Feb 26) which involved a businessman losing RM1.03 million.
Kuching OCPD ACP Ahsmon Bajah said that the victim lodged a police report on Sunday after the suspect disguised as a person working in Poslaju Malaysia contacted the victim through a phone call.
According to Ahsmon, the suspect demanded money and requested a one-time-password (OTP) number that was sent to his phone through a text message.
“The police are still investigating the account where the money was transferred to. Investigations are currently still pending.
“What we know now, is that it’s under a telco company but there still needs to be further verifications of how true the account is,” he told reporters in a press conference at the Kuching District Police Headquarters on Thursday (March 2).
Ahsmon revealed that the victim did not agree to anything the suspect wanted; however, when he received a second call from the suspect to check his savings account, his entire savings was gone.
He added that Kuching police are currently working with Bukit Aman with a special team to curb the ongoing problem of Macau scams to trace back the money.
“We are working very closely with Bukit Aman and also Bank Negara as well at a district level with the police here to narrow down all elements related to the scam,” assured Ahsmon.
Ahsmon also said that in the first two months of 2023, there are already five cases of scam compared to last year in 2022 where there were only six.
“The number of scams this year compared to last year has increased significantly and this is really high,” he said.
Following that, Ahsmon disclosed the Macau scam in 2022, there were only six cases involving a loss of RM77,328.96, but in 2023 until Feb 28 2023, five cases involved a loss of RM1,136,842.
Therefore, he reminded the public to be aware of suspicious calls or messages and to ignore these calls or messages.
He also said that there are six individuals that have been brought to court under Section 420 of the Penal Code and is punishable under Section 37 (1) of the Sarawak Minor Offences Ordinances 1958.
