A 44-YEAR-OLD oil rig worker in Kuala Terengganu has been defrauded of RM32,000 by a sophisticated phone scam after being coerced into believing he faced legal action for allegedly filing a false claim.
The victim, desperate to avoid prosecution, even took out a personal bank loan to pay the so-called bail money demanded by the scammers.
Chief of Kuala Terengganu Police District, Assistant Commissioner Azli Mohd. Noor, explained that the ordeal began on 21 September when the worker received a call from someone claiming to represent an insurance company.
“The victim was accused of making a false claim before the line was transferred to another individual purporting to be a public prosecutor. He was then instructed to provide a statement and was subsequently told to pay a bail sum of RM32,000,” he said in an interview with Kosmo!
In a state of panic, the oil rig worker applied for a personal loan to settle the supposed bail.
Azli added that the payments were made on 16 November through eight separate transactions into a bank account designated by the scammers.
“The victim, upon realising he had been deceived, filed a report at Kuala Terengganu Police Headquarters at 2:51 pm yesterday. The case is currently being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code,” he said.
Azli described how the fraud unfolded, noting that the initial caller claimed to be from an insurance company in Petaling Jaya and used intimidation tactics to convince the victim of wrongdoing.
“The victim was asked to provide statements over the phone and was simultaneously tricked into believing the call had been transferred to an individual impersonating a public prosecutor named Puan Zarina,” he said.
The scam culminated in the victim making a total of RM32,000 in payments, which were sourced from the personal bank loan he had taken.
Azli confirmed that the investigation into the case continues. - November 26, 2025
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