“It’s Not Our Job” Police Officer Says They Can’t Help Scam Victims Recover Money Due To Laws
The police officer explained that the law doesn’t empower policemen to take action on their own.
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Recently, a local graphic designer Shahrul Ashraf Sallehuddin was scammed online but he managed to track down the scammer and recover money belonging to him and nine other victims.
While he was grateful to be able to get his money back, he mentioned that he wished the police would have taken a more proactive action when he lodged a police report.
READ MORE: Scam Victim Manages To Recover His Money, Helped 9 Other Victims Too
In response to this, a senior police officer told Free Malaysia Today that it’s not the responsibility to help scam victims recover their money.
This is because the law allegedly does not empower policemen to do so. The officer, who heads a district commercial crime investigation department, said the police’s duty is to “arrest, investigate and charge the suspects after receiving instruction from the deputy public prosecutor.”
I understand that victims want their stolen money back. If I were a victim, I would want my money back, too. But we have to follow the law.
The senior police officer spoke to FMT on condition of anonymity.
He added that the public was often confused between account mules and scammers. Account mules are people who let others use their accounts and doing so is against the law.
Scammers are not so stupid as to use their own bank accounts. That means when one perpetrator is arrested, it is likely that the scammer is still at large.
Senior police officer
Muslim consumer group (PPIM) activist Nadzim Johan said the police should improve the way they deal with scams and their victims.
He said there’s a need for a change in the attitude of some investigating officers. They should be showing concern and go all out to investigate.
PPIM had also helped dozens of victims who reached a dead end after seeking help from authorities. For Nadzim, this showed that cases can be solved.
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