BUTTERWORTH – A 49-year-old private company employee lost RM70,000 to an online scam syndicate after deciding to respond to allegations of money laundering.
The victim had initially been deceived by an individual claiming to be a Telekom Malaysia staff member.
The person had first claimed that the victim should settle company tax arrears of RM1,188.
North Seberang Prai district police chief Noorzainy Mohd Noor said the call was then connected to an individual claiming to be a police officer from the Seremban police headquarters, who alleged that the victim was involved in a money laundering case.
“The panicked victim then followed the instructions by not informing anyone and was asked to submit an account notification and verification code for further investigations.
“The victim later found that the money in his bank account had lessened through various transactions believed to have been made by the suspect.
“The victim had also transferred half of his bank account balance to another bank account, trusting it was for investigative purposes,” he said.
Noorzainy advised the public to be vigilant and not to easily believe strangers asking for banking information through phone calls. – The Vibes, August 24, 2021
