By: Aida Aziz
MANJUNG: A senior female citizen suffered a loss of RM202,787 after being deceived in a phone scam perpetrated by criminals posing as police officers last Monday.
The Chief of Manjung Police District, ACP Mohamed Nordin Abdullah, stated that the 65-year-old victim, a retired electronic factory worker, received a phone call from the suspect, pretending to be a police officer.
According to her, the suspect claimed that the victim was involved in a criminal case that required an investigation related to the victim’s account.
“On June 19, around 1:30 PM, the Manjung District Police Headquarters received a police report regarding a phone scam fraud. The victim incurred a loss of RM202,787. Based on records from January until June 19, 2023, the total losses due to phone scams in the Manjung district alone amount to approximately RM2.1 million, involving 52 cases,” he told reporters.
The police found that one of the modus operandi of phone scams is that of lsuspects posing as authorities such as law enforcement officers, police, IRB (Inland Revenue Board), MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission), courts, financial institutions, or courier services,” he added.
He emphasized that all dealings with government agencies should be conducted in person at their offices and not through telephone calls.
“Telephone calls should only be for appointment purposes. As a precautionary measure, the public is advised not to entertain calls from unknown numbers. Inform your spouse, friends, or family members about the calls received. Verify with the nearest police station, bank, or relevant agency for confirmation and refrain from disclosing banking information to anyone,” he said.
Furthermore, he mentioned that for any advice or further information, the public can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997.
