JOHOR BARU: A kindergarten teacher lost RM100,000 after being duped by a scammer posing as her husband, who was in China on a week-long business trip.
The 52-year-old victim said she received a WhatsApp message on Oct 24 from a number she believed belonged to her husband.
Her husband, a general manager at a private company in Mount Austin here, had left for China just days earlier.
Johor Baru (South) police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat said the impostor who pretended to be her husband claimed his bank account was temporarily inaccessible and asked her to urgently transfer funds to help with some “business transactions.”
Without suspecting foul play, the victim made seven online transfers amounting to RM100,000 to three personal savings accounts registered under names she did not recognise.
Raub said checks showed none of the account holders had prior criminal records in the police’s Commercial Crime Investigation System (CCIS).
The teacher only realised she had been duped after contacting her husband, who confirmed that his WhatsApp account had been hacked.
“The victim then lodged a police report to facilitate investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating,” Raub said in a statement today.
He said efforts were underway to identify and trace the suspects involved.
Raub also reminded the public to verify suspicious calls or messages with the authorities or through the SemakMule portal before making any financial transactions.
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