GEORGE TOWN: A 75-year-old retired sports coach lost RM838,328 after falling victim to a phone scam.
The victim, a former sports trainer, received a call from an individual impersonating a police officer from the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID). The caller told the man that his name had been blacklisted and that he was involved in spreading false information.
State police chief Datuk Azizee Ismail said the victim denied the accusations, after which the suspect instructed him to file an online report. After a ‘check’ on the victim’s personal details, the suspect claimed the victim was linked to a money laundering case.
The suspect then asked the victim to provide his bank account details. On Aug 11, the suspect instructed the victim to hand over his ATM cards and their PINs for “investigations by Bank Negara Malaysia.” The victim was told to place the cards in an envelope and leave it near the security guard post of his residential area.
The following day, when the victim checked his bank accounts, he discovered that all his savings had been transferred to an unknown third-party account.
Azizee said the victim, realising he had been deceived, immediately filed a police report. The incident was reported to the CCID of the northeast district police headquarters yesterday.
Police are now investigating the case under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
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