MIRI – The recent incident involving an 80-year-old woman withdrawing RM30,000 in cash from a bank has raised serious questions about the effectiveness of bank monitoring security.
Sarawak PKR deputy chairman Abun Sui said it is disconcerting to see vulnerable individuals being tricked into withdrawing large sums of money by swindlers and scammers.
The case in question involves an elderly woman in Miri who was allegedly coaxed by three foreign “mediums” claiming to be from China into withdrawing RM30,000 from her savings account.
The suspects had reportedly frightened the victim by convincing her that her son was cursed with misfortune.
Surprisingly, the bank staff did not make significant efforts to investigate the hasty withdrawal or question the woman's intentions, he said.
Sui believes that with tighter security checks, the bank staff could have detected that the elderly woman was being victimised and be able to take steps to assist her.
“If the bank had implemented more thorough security measures, they could have identified the situation and provided assistance,” Sui told The Vibes.
Sui, a Miri-based lawyer, is also the state’s Pakatan Harapan's information chief.
The fact that elderly individuals can withdraw substantial amounts of cash without raising suspicion underlines the need for banks to promptly enhance their monitoring systems, said Sui.
Sarawak police chief Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri confirmed the incident, saying that the victim encountered the three foreign women, believed to be Chinese nationals, on June 19 at a bus stop in Miri.
The fraudsters engaged her in conversation and manipulated her into believing that her son needed to undergo a cleansing ritual to rid him of the purported curse.
Consequently, they convinced her to withdraw RM30,000 in cash and handed her a package of newspapers, claiming it contained the money.
Instructing her not to open the package for four days, they eventually vanished.
When the victim and her son finally opened the package on June 23, they discovered it contained only salt.
Police have classified the incident as a case of cheating and are currently searching for the foreign suspects in Miri.
Azman reiterated the importance of public vigilance and urged people not to succumb to fear or part with their money easily.
He advised individuals to lodge reports at their nearest police station whenever approached by strangers demanding financial payments. – The Vibes, June 26, 2023
