Civil Servant Loses RM124,930 In Phone Scam

KUALA TERENGGANU, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- A female civil servant lost RM124,930 after falling victim to a phone scam syndicate.

Kuala Terengganu police chief ACP Azli Mohd Noor said the 39-year-old victim was contacted on June 26 by a caller posing as an insurance company representative.

The scammer alleged that she had filed a health insurance claim requiring verification, which she firmly denied.

“The call was then transferred to another individual impersonating a police officer, who claimed she was involved in money laundering and instructed her to take out a personal loan to settle a supposed bail fund.

“Fearing imprisonment, the victim took a personal loan of RM79,000 and deposited it into her savings account,” he said in a statement today.

Azli said the scammer then instructed the victim to change her bank card and phone number, as well as barring her from updating or using the account for a specified period.

“The victim complied with all the instructions. However, on Aug 27, suspecting something was wrong, she requested a statement from the bank. 

“She was shocked to find six transfers to unknown accounts, totalling RM124,930. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code,” he said.

-- BERNAMA