Kelantan businessman scammed out of RM6.7 mln

KOTA BHARU: A businessman in his 70s from Kuala Krai, Kelantan lost RM6.7 million to Macau scammers impersonating a Johor court officer and a Johor contingent headquarters (IPK) police officer.

“The court officer called the victim and said he had a pending case involving the registration of a company in Johor. Although the victim said it was not true, the call was transferred to the fake police officer who said his case was being investigated and he has to appear in court.

“Afterwards, feeling unsettled (from the revelation), the victim began transferring between RM80,000 and RM500,000, between October and on Tuesday, to a bank account number provided by the officer,” Kelantan police chief, Datuk Hasanuddin Hassan, told reporters yesterday.

After the businessman realised something was amiss, he made a report at the Kota Bharu police station on Tuesday.

“This case of fraud is the biggest this year. We urge people to be more careful and not easily tricked by fake threats over the phone. In this situation, perhaps the victim was easily manipulated because he’s elderly,” Hasanuddin added after attending a handover of duties ceremony between Kelantan commercial crime investigation department acting chief, DSP Ahmad Arifin, and new department chief, Supt Ahmad Azizul Mohamed. Bernama