KUALA TERENGGANU, Aug 12 — A female student at a public university here lost RM187,800 after being conned by a “phone scam” syndicate posing as a Touch ‘n Go representative.
Kuala Terengganu district police chief ACP Azli Mohd Noor said that on Aug 4, the 26-year-old victim received a call from a suspect claiming she had misused the application and was involved in money laundering and drug trafficking.
He said the suspect then instructed the victim to make several payments via bank transfer for investigation purposes and to clear her name.
“The panicked and frightened victim made eight payments to six different accounts between Aug 4 and 9 using her own savings and money from her parents’ account, which she took without their knowledge.
“In addition, the victim also handed over three bracelets, five rings and a pendant belonging to her and her mother to a female suspect by the roadside at Pantai Penarik, Setiu, on Aug 9,” he said in a statement today.
Azli said the victim, upon realising she had been cheated, lodged a police report at 9.43 pm yesterday.
However, the victim could not identify or provide a detailed description of the female suspect she met, as the individual was wearing a face mask.
“I urge the public not to be gullible and to instead use the “Semak Mule” application to verify the phone numbers and bank accounts provided by suspects.
“They can also contact the National Scam Response Centre hotline at 997 to obtain verification before making any transfers to third-party accounts,” he added. — Bernama
