Woman conned of RM4,500 for ‘overweight’ parcel

LIMBANG: A woman here was conned into paying RM4,500 to a bogus Customs officer for the release of a supposedly overweight parcel from the United States.

Limbang police chief Supt Mohd Bukhori Saffai confirmed receiving a report of the incident, which saw the victim receive a call on Monday from a woman purporting to be a Customs officer at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport ( KLIA).

The ‘officer’ told the victim that the parcel, which was supposedly sent to her by a Facebook friend in California, had unpaid overweight charges that needed to be settled for its release.

The 28-year- old victim then proceeded to deposit RM4,500 into the bank account provided by the ‘officer’ without further verification.

Apparently emboldened by the victim’s compliance, the ‘officer’ then called again to demand a second payment of RM18,000 for the release of the parcel.

It would seem that the exorbitant amount made the victim realise she had been conned as she then proceeded to the Limbang police station to lodge a report.

The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.