Man loses RM18,900 to phone scam from ‘friend’
MIRI: A local man, in his 20s, suffered RM18,900 in losses after being scammed by a person impersonating his friend to borrow some money.
Miri police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said the man lodged a police report on Friday (Feb 16).
“The victim was initially contacted by an individual, who introduced himself as a ‘friend’ and told him that his old phone number was no longer in use.
“The suspect then asked to borrow some money under the pretext of renovating his house,” Alexson said in a statement.
He said the victim then made four bank transfers into two different accounts, of which the numbers were given by the ‘friend’.
“The victim only realised that he had been deceived after calling his actual friend, whom the scammer was impersonating, on his actual phone number.
“The ‘true’ friend later denied ever calling the victim, asking for money.
“The incident resulted in the victim suffering losses amounting to RM18,900,” said Alexson.
Investigation is being carried out under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment between one and 10 years, whipping, as well as a fine, upon conviction.
In this regard, Alexson strongly advised the public to always be vigilant and to never disclose or provide their financial details to any unknown callers.
“Be careful and always take precautions when dealing online, especially if the caller claims to be a friend, acquaintance, delivery party, law enforcement or the court.
“The public is also encouraged to call the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 if they are victims of cyber fraud such as phone scams, love scams, e-commerce, non-existent loans, or have just made a money transfer transaction to any mule or fraud syndicates’ accounts.
“The public can check the suspect’s phone number and bank account through Check Scammer CCID, or through the website https://semakmule. rmp.gov.my/ before making any financial transactions,” said Alexson.
The public can also go to Facebook pages Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK), Cyber Crime Alert Royal Malaysia Police and JSJK Sarawak for information on the latest fraud modus operandi.