Septuagenarian loses RM900,000 in life savings to a phone scam

MIRI: A senior citizen has lost RM900,000 in her life savings to a phone scam.

Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata, in a statement, said a police report was lodged by the woman, in her 70s, on Thursday.

“According to the victim, who has retired from the private sector, she received a call from a man who introduced himself as an officer from Penang contingent police headquarters (IPK) informing her that she was found to be involved in a moneylaundering activity.

“The ‘police officer’ then told her that in order to avoid legal actions taken against her and to clear her name, she must make payments meant for investigation purposes, assuring her that the money would be returned later,” said Mancha.

He added: “Between January and February, the victim made 117 money transfers into 21 bank accounts.

“She later realised that she had been deceived after checking at the nearby police station, where she was informed that the call was not from the police.

“She suffered total losses of about RM900,000.”

Macha urged the public to not entertain any phone calls from unknown numbers, and to not panic, feel anxious, or be afraid of any accusations made against them.

“Contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) via 997 if you are a victim of phone scams, love scams, e-commerce scams, loan scams, of if you had done money transactions to any suspicious bank account or ewallet.

“Download the Whoscall app, via the Google Play Store or Apple Store, to help you determine whether to answer incoming calls or not,” advised Mancha.

Additionally, check the suspect’s phone numbers and bank accounts via ‘Check Scammer CCID’ app, or via https://semakmule.rmp.gov. my/ before making any financial transactions.

Go to the official social media accounts of JSJK @JSJKPDRM and @CyberCrimeAlertRMP on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to obtain the latest information on any scam modus operandi.