JOHOR BARU: A 46-year-old company managing director was duped by a fake police officer and lost RM520,000.
Johor police chief M Kumar said the victim realised she had been duped and filed a complaint on Sunday.
“In early May, the victim received a call from an unknown person who claimed to be a police officer from the north of the country.
“During investigation, the fraudsters discovered the victim’s ATM card and claimed that the victim was involved in money laundering.
“The call was then transferred to another scammer claiming to be an inspector named Lee Kah Seng.
“Lee offered to 'assist' the victim in preventing his bank accounts from being frozen,” Kumar said in a statement yesterday.
He allegedly asked the victim to transfer money to his bank account in order to cooperate with the investigation.
“The victim believed the call was legitimate as the scammer provided his exact name and IC number.
“He also received a letter on court letterhead via WhatsApp stating that his property would be confiscated.
“The victim then transferred RM520,000 into his bank account.
“But they asked him for more money and that's when he realised he had been duped,” Kumar said.
The case is being investigated for alleged fraud under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
Kumar urged victims to contact the National Anti-Fraud Centre (997) to stop the suspects from transferring money from their bank accounts.
“People should also follow the Commercial Crime Bureau's social media accounts to be aware of the tactics scammers use to defraud their victims.”
He urged the public to use the Semak Mule website and download the Whoscall application to avoid falling victim to scams.
