A 75-YEAR-OLD retiree in Kuala Terengganu has lost RM88,000 in savings after falling victim to a phone scam involving individuals posing as police officers and a public prosecutor.
Kuala Terengganu district police chief Assistant Commissioner Azli Mohd Noor said the elderly man lodged a police report at the Kuala Terengganu police station at about 9.01pm last night.
According to Azli, the incident began on 2 December at around 10am, when the victim, who was at home, received a call from an unknown number.
“A man introduced himself as Sergeant Razak from the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters and accused the victim of being involved in a money laundering case,” he said.
Azli explained that the call then escalated into what he described as a staged act, when the conversation was allegedly transferred to another individual claiming to be a deputy public prosecutor named Rosnah Bakar.
“Then came the act, when the phone call was supposedly connected to another individual acting as a public prosecutor named Rosnah Bakar.
“In that conversation, the victim was allegedly offered a way to ‘settle’ the case and the investigation involving his savings,” he said.
Believing the claims made by the syndicate, the victim proceeded to carry out seven separate bank transfers into different accounts between 4 and 18 December.
Azli said the victim was also instructed to tear up the transaction receipts. Only after making the final payment did the victim recount the incident to his wife.
“The victim and his wife then came to the police station to lodge a report, and the estimated losses amounted to RM88,000,” he said.
Police investigations revealed that the funds transferred comprised RM38,000 from the victim’s own Tabung Haji savings and RM50,000 belonging to his wife.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. - December 20, 2025