FIVE small-scale traders specialising in flowers and gift items have collectively lost more than RM28,000 after falling victim to a fraudulent procurement scheme involving fake government orders and bogus suppliers.
Miri district police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the district Commercial Crime Investigation Division received five police reports linked to the scam on Friday.
According to investigators, the suspects posed as employees of government agencies and approached victims with offers to supply and deliver “door gifts” for official functions and events.
Police said the syndicate used a sophisticated method to convince traders that the orders were genuine by requesting products outside the victims’ normal business scope before directing them to supposed suppliers.
“The modus operandi used involved requesting goods outside the victims’ usual field of business before providing the contact number of a supplier who supposedly could provide the items,” he said in a statement.
Victims were then persuaded to place orders and transfer payments online into accounts controlled by the syndicate.
“The victims were subsequently deceived into placing orders with the suspects until online transfers were made into mule accounts,” he added.
The traders only realised they had been cheated after verifying the orders directly with the government agencies involved, which denied issuing any such tenders or purchase requests.
Police are investigating the case under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, an offence punishable upon conviction with imprisonment of between one and 10 years, whipping and a fine.
Authorities have urged members of the public and business operators to exercise extreme caution when receiving procurement offers or tender requests online, particularly those claiming to originate from government or private agencies.
“Obtain confirmation through telephone calls or by visiting the relevant agency branch in person before conducting any dealings with any party,” Mohd Farhan said.
“Do not be easily deceived by the use of government or private agency letterheads because such documents can be forged,” he added.
Police also advised victims of cyber fraud or those who have recently transferred money into suspicious accounts to immediately contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) via hotline 997 for urgent assistance. - May 24, 2026
