AN elderly woman has allegedly been tricked by two men into withdrawing RM307,000 from three banks in Rembau and Senawang in what appears to be a coordinated scam involving deception and psychological manipulation.
Speaking at a press conference alongside MCA Bekok assemblyman Tan Chong, the 78-year-old victim, identified as Gan, said the incident took place at about 8am last Friday, while she was walking to a nearby market.
She said she was approached by a man who claimed to recognise her as a former fruit seller.
“He asked if I recognised him and said he had previously bought fruit from me,” she said.
Gan, who had sold fruit and soy drinks for more than 40 years before retiring six years ago, said the man later told her she had won RM200,000 in a bank lucky draw and instructed her to return home to collect documents needed to claim the prize.
She said that on the way home she met a neighbour and initially invited the person to join her, but the man dismissed the neighbour and insisted on accompanying her.
She later got into the man’s car, describing herself as being in a confused and dazed state.
Gan said she could not fully recall what happened afterwards, with events later reconstructed through closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.
She said two men were in the vehicle — a Chinese man and a dark-skinned driver — both of whom were smoking continuously. She added that they claimed to be 23 and 37 years old.
The driver was also allegedly heard speaking in Malay on the phone, saying arrangements had been made with a bank manager to release the so-called prize money.
Gan’s eldest son, who only wanted to be known as Lim, said he had travelled from Singapore to Johor Bahru at around 10am that day. After returning to Labis, he attempted to contact his mother but was unable to reach her.
“At 1.30pm, she answered and said she was having tea with a friend, which we later realised was what the scammers told her to say. At 3pm, she called again saying she had been scammed,” he said.
Gan later withdrew large sums of cash from three banks, including RM210,000, RM30,000 and RM60,000, after transferring fixed deposits into savings accounts.
An additional RM7,000 in cash from her handbag was also taken.
Her daughter said bank staff had become suspicious when one of the men was seen whispering to Gan, who appeared visibly distressed.
The family has since lodged a police report as investigations continue. - April 12, 2026
