KUCHING: A local woman lost a staggering RM50,000 after she was misled into believing that she was involved in money laundering and being intimidated to report to a ‘Datuk’.
Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) chief Milton Foo shed light on the case that left the 25-year-old victim reeling from her loss.
In July, a seemingly innocuous phone call spiralled into a tale of deceit when the unsuspecting woman received a call from an individual claiming to be from Pos Laju in Penang.
The caller informed the victim that her prohibited parcel meant for a ‘Tan Boon Keat’, had been detained by Penang police.
“She was told to contact the police regarding the matter with a number provided for her.
“The person claiming to be an officer from the Penang police contingent headquarters, stated that the victim is involved in money laundering and that ‘Tan Boon Keat’ had used her name to open a bank account for money laundering.
“Later, the call was connected to a woman named ‘Datuk Shafaaton’, supposedly the Penang police chief, who had instructed the victim to report her daily activities by sending photos of what she was doing and where she was going from July 22 to 25.
“The ‘Datuk’ also told the victim not to tell anyone regarding the matter and she complied with the instructions,” he said in a press conference recently.
Foo pointed out that the ‘Datuk’, on July 25, told the victim to buy a new phone and number to communicate and report herself. The daily report of her activities went on until Aug 18.
The climax came when she was told by the ‘Datuk’ that in order to clear her name from money laundering, it required a hefty sum of RM50,000.
The victim was then told to secure a loan from RHB Bank, which was approved the next day (July 26), and transfer the money to her newly opened Bank Islam account.
“On the same day of the loan’s approval, the ‘Datuk’ sent the victim a Bank Negara application link and asked her to fill in all of the banking details.
“Later, on Aug 16, a gut-wrenching realisation shattered her as a Bank Islam officer called her to inform that her money had vanished.
“She immediately contacted the ‘Datuk’ but it yielded nothing more than a cruel block on WhatsApp as all of her messages were delivered on single tick,” he said.
He pointed out that the victim who was intimidated to report herself to the ‘Datuk’ even after the money had vanished, finally confided in her parents on Aug 18.
The victim and her parents quickly sought help from the SUPP bureau the next day (Aug 19).
In view of this, Foo expressed his commitment to preventing more innocent victims from falling prey to such nefarious schemes.
He announced that his bureau will organise more awareness campaigns by collaborating with the police, Bank Negara, and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
