SHAH ALAM: A senior citizen has lost nearly RM6mil after falling victim to a phone scam.
Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said the 73-year-old victim, a private sector retiree, received a call in May from a man claiming to be from the national anti-financial crime centre in Putrajaya, telling her she was involved in a money-laundering case.
She was then instructed by another scammer to “declare her assets” and savings.
Then in June, the victim was instructed to open four bank accounts and deposit her savings into the newly opened accounts.
“She was told to put all the ATM cards in an envelope and leave it at a playground in USJ and to give her banking information to them,” he said in a statement on Thursday (Oct 9).
Shazeli said the victim only realised she had been duped after her child told her it was a scam.
However, it was already too late as she had already lost RM5,996,586.51.
He urged the public to be vigilant against scams, saying authorities never conduct transactions over the phone and that all dealings are carried out in person at police stations or relevant government offices.
Shazeli also reminded the public not to disclose personal information such as identity card numbers, one time passcodes (OTP) or transaction authorisation codes (TAC) or passwords over the phone, and never to transfer money to unknown individuals.
He said the public should check the authenticity of such calls by contacting the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 for verification, advice or to lodge a report, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. – Bernama
