TWO women in Pahang, a retired teacher and a teacher still in service, have lost over RM1.4 million after falling victim to sophisticated phone scams involving suspects posing as police officers.
Pahang Police Chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the victims, aged 60 and 42, suffered losses of RM1.01 million and RM431,000 respectively, based on reports lodged on Monday.
In the first case, the retired teacher was initially contacted on 6 September 2024 by an individual posing as a representative of an online sales company before the call was transferred to a suspect impersonating a police officer.
“The victim was informed that she was allegedly involved in a money laundering case and the sale of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards to criminals.
“To deceive the victim, the suspect instructed her to file a police report over the phone and recorded her voice as a supposed confession.
“The victim was then threatened with two options: either be arrested and remanded or surrender all her assets,” he said in a statement today.
Fearing arrest, the victim carried out 122 bank transfers to multiple accounts between September 2024 and 5 April this year, amounting to RM1,014,000.
She was also instructed to report to the suspects six times a day at three-hour intervals and was strictly prohibited from informing anyone of the matter.
“The losses involved savings, Employees Provident Fund (EPF) funds, proceeds from the sale of a house, retirement money, personal loans, pawned jewellery, as well as investments and other savings belonging to the victim,” he said.
In the second case, a teacher in Raub received a call on 2 February from an individual posing as an insurance company officer before being connected to a fake police officer.
She was falsely told she was involved in fraudulent insurance claims amounting to RM68,000, as well as money laundering and corruption.
“The victim was then instructed to declare her bank accounts and change her telephone number for internet banking purposes before making several fund transfers to bank accounts controlled by the suspect, allegedly for case management and court bail payments.
“As a result, the victim suffered losses of RM431,000 involving personal savings, loans, and pledged jewellery. Both cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code,” he said.
Police confirmed that both cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, and reiterated warnings to the public about scams involving impersonation of law enforcement officers. - April 28, 2026
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