A RETIRED civil servant in Kuala Terengganu lost RM50,000 after falling victim to a telephone scam in which syndicate members impersonated officers from Tenaga Nasional Berhad and the police, authorities said.
Kuala Terengganu district police chief Assistant Commissioner Azli Mohd Noor said the 71-year-old woman lodged a police report at the Kuala Terengganu police station at 10.05am yesterday.
He said the incident began on Jan 29, when the victim was at her home in Kampung Batu Rakit and received a call from an unknown individual.
According to Azli, the caller claimed to be from Tenaga Nasional Berhad and alleged that the victim’s name had been used to register a modified electricity meter involved in power theft in Pahang.
“The victim denied the allegation before the individual instructed her to lodge a police report online.
“The syndicate then used the tactic of connecting the call to someone who claimed to be a police officer and allegedly, after checks were carried out, the victim’s name was also linked to a money laundering case,” he said.
Azli said the victim was told that to resolve the matter, she had to transfer all her savings into a temporary account for investigation purposes, with the assurance that the money would be returned once the inquiry was completed.
Believing the claims and acting out of fear, the woman transferred RM50,000 from her savings into the account provided through five separate transactions, he said.
However, he said the victim later became suspicious and recounted the incident to her child, who informed her that she had been scammed.
“The victim then lodged a police report after realising she had been deceived and suffered losses amounting to RM50,000.
“The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code, and the source of the funds involved was the victim’s personal savings,” he said. - February 1, 2026
