MIRI – A senior citizen from Sibu in his late seventies was convinced he had won RM300,000 in lottery prize money that he withdrew RM120,000 for two women who promised to collect the prize money for him.
He ended up as a victim of a scam orchestrated by the two women and their male accomplice, said Sarawak police chief Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri today.
“The elderly man lodged a police report in Sibu yesterday, claiming he was cheated out of RM120,000 by two women and a man who had convinced him that he was holding a winning lottery ticket.
“The victim from Sibu said a few days ago, he had gone to Kanowit (about 100km from Sibu) for a visit when two women approached him outside a hotel.
“The senior citizen said the women informed him that he was holding a lottery ticket with a winning number for RM300,000 prize money.
“The women said they could help him collect the RM300,000 prize money on condition that he pay them RM120,000 commission.
“The elderly man was taken to a lottery outlet where a man supposedly confirmed to the senior citizen that the lottery ticket he was holding was indeed the winner of RM300,000,” Azman said in a statement.
The two women and the man then managed to coax the elderly man to go with them back to Sibu in their vehicle.
They took him to a bank, and he supposedly withdrew cash from his savings.
“The senior citizen gave RM120,000 cash to the women and their male accomplice, and they told him they will bank the RM300,000 prize money into his bank account.
“Yesterday, he rushed to the Sibu police after he checked his bank account and found there was no lottery prize money,” said Azman.
Police have classified the case as cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
Azman once again called on the public to be very careful when approached by anyone regarding offers of big sums of money, lucrative investments or, as in this case, a big money payout.
Recent reports said that Sarawak topped the list of states where such scams were reported. – The Vibes, November 8, 2023
