ASNB advises investors not to entertain suspicious callers

PETALING JAYA: Investors should be wary of the Macau Scam and divulging personal details or investment information to any unknown party, warns Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB).

ASNB, which is a subsidiary of Permodalan Nasional Bhd ( PNB) and fund manager of Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB), advised investors not to entertain any call inquiring about investment details, even if the caller claims to be a bank officer or ASNB officer.

“If an investor receives a suspicious call, he or she is advised not to panic and not to make any transactions involving withdrawal of ASB or other ASNB unit trusts.

“For further information or clarification, the investor should contact the Agent and Customer Relationship Management Department of ASNB at 03-2057 3000 or contact the police directly to request for a review or lodge a report,” said ASNB chief executive officer Mohammad Hussin.

Mohammad said ASNB was always committed to protecting investors by utilising the best security measures.

“However, investors are advised to be aware of syndicates such as the Macau Scam, as ASNB is not able to reimburse the money withdrawn by investors after being affected by the syndicates,” he said.

At a recent ceremony at Menara PNB, PNB president and group chief executive Datuk Abdul Rahman Ahmad presented a certificate and token of appreciation of 1,000 units of Amanah Saham Wawasan 2020 to an employee who successfully prevented an ASB investor from being tricked by a Macau Scam syndicate.

In the incident, an investor received a call from someone claiming to be a bank officer who said the investor was involved in money laundering. The caller then instructed the investor to transfer RM120,000 to avoid legal proceedings.

The investor panicked and withdrew all of his ASB investment funds and transferred them to a new account, as instructed by the caller.

Fortunately, the employee noticed the investor’s distress and took the initiative to ask for a clarification. The employee later reported the matter to the police.