BATU PAHAT: A 75-year-old man lost RM325,951 after falling victim to a phone scam that lasted six months, involving a caller posing as a Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) representative.
The victim was contacted by an unidentified woman in early May, who claimed that his bank account had been frozen by BNM.
She instructed him to transfer money into accounts purportedly belonging to the central bank to release his funds.
The caller also threatened that BNM would come looking for him if he refused to cooperate, prompting the frightened victim to follow her instructions.
Between May and November, the victim transferred a total of RM325,951.33 in stages into eight bank accounts.
The man realised he had been cheated only after making the final transfer, when he discovered that his telephone number had been blocked and he could no longer contact the caller.
He then lodged a police report.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Shahrulanuar Mushaddat Abdullah Sani said the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
The offence carries a maximum jail term of 10 years, whipping and a fine.
He advised the public not to trust unsolicited calls from strangers claiming to represent government departments or agencies without first verifying their claims directly with the relevant authorities.
The public can also follow the Commercial Crime Investigation Department’s Facebook pages at @jsjkpdrm and @cybercrimealertrmp for updates on commercial crime scams.