AN elderly local man has fallen victim to a sophisticated phone scam, losing RM750,000 after being tricked into handing over his automated teller machine (ATM) cards to fraudsters posing as police officers in September.
Superintendent Yusof Othman, Chief of Police for Kota Tinggi, confirmed that the victim, a 60-year-old man, reported the incident to authorities yesterday.
He explained that the scammers initially contacted the victim in September, falsely alleging that he was involved in money-laundering activities.
“The victim was instructed to surrender two ATM cards to the suspects in order to ‘clear his name’ of the alleged money-laundering charges. He was assured that his money would be returned once the investigation was completed.
“However, the victim later discovered that withdrawals totaling RM750,000 had been made from his accounts,” Superintendent Yusof said in a statement.
Following the complaint, Kota Tinggi police have opened an investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
“Authorities are urging the public to exercise extreme caution when receiving unsolicited calls claiming to be from law enforcement or other official bodies, particularly those requesting personal banking information or ATM cards.
This case highlights the growing sophistication of phone scams in Malaysia, which increasingly target elderly individuals with the promise of resolving legal issues or financial irregularities. - December 30, 2025
