LIMBANG: A retired teacher lost a whopping RM516,457 of her savings after being duped in a Macau scam.
The syndicate members and culprits in the scam had disguised as police officers and a staff of one telecommunication company for nearly two months, during the movement control order (MCO) and the recovery movement control order (RMCO).
According Limbang District police chief Supt Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad, the whole ordeal started when the 61 year-old woman received a phone call from a male suspect in March this year.
“The suspect was said to have introduced himself as an officer from a telecommunication company and claimed that the telephone lined registered under the victim’s name would be cut off for engaging in an online gambling with a man known as ‘Ong Kai Sing’,” said Abang Zainal.
“She then was told to speak to a ‘police personnel’ from Kuantan, Pahang, who introduced himself as ‘Sergeant Zulkifli Atot’.
“The ‘police sergeant’ had told the victim that he had made some checking on her details and he had claimed that the woman had received some fund totalling RM200,000 from her illegal gambling activities,” the police chief said.
To avoid legal action, she was asked to call another “police officer” named Inspector Nur Milah Jamil.
The “officer” claimed the she was conducting an investigation against the victim as she was suspected to be involved in money laundering activities.
The victim, from Kampung Berawan Batu 6 Limbang, denied any involvement but was ordered to share information and details of her savings over the phone to avoid the money from being seized or the bank account frozen during the investigation.
Supt Abang Zainal disclosed that the victim lodged a police report on Saturday (June 20) around 12.30pm, after realising his savings were gone.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code which provides for a jail term of up to 10 years and caning as well as a fine if found guilty, said the district police chief.
