Civil Servant Lost RM677,565 Over “Pos Laju” Phone Scam
Police investigations are never done through phone calls.
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Scams and scammers are becoming a norm lately. Whether it’s via chat messages or SMS or phone calls, there is a need to be extra cautious these days.
Recently a civil servant lost RM677,565 in a phone call scam.
According to Seberang Prai Utara district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Asri Shafie, the victim, who was in his 40s, received a phone call from a person claiming to be from Pos Laju notifying him that a package registered in his name contained illegal goods.
The goods included 5 pieces of ATM cards form various banks, as reported by the New Straits Times.
The victim denied the parcel belonged to him and was allegedly transferred to a police officer from the Perak state police contingent headquarters.
An individual, impersonating a police officer, told the victim he was involved in a drug and money laundering case. He was then made to transfer RM677,565 into six bank accounts from June 7 to July 4.
The victim discovered he had been cheated on Monday when he conducted checks on ‘semakmule’ and found all six accounts used by the suspects with records of cheating cases.
The case is now being investigated for cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
The police stressed on the fact that any kind of investigations would not be conducted by them over phone calls.
“Police will also not direct any individuals to carry out any payment transactions when investigations are being carried out,” stated Asri.
How to know if it is a scam?
According to the United States’ Federal Trade Commission, there are a few ways one can identify if a phone call is from a scammer.
First, the scammers will pretend to be from an organisation that you are familiar with.
Scammers frequently claim to be from the government or make up a name that seems official or they may choose to use a genuine name, such as the police. Some ask for money while posing as an employee of a firm you are familiar with, such as a tech company, utility provider, or even a charity.
Next, they will claim that you have issues with the government or you have a debt. Or perhaps there was an emergency in your household. or that your machine has a virus.
Some con artists claim that there is an issue with one of your accounts and that you must verify certain details.
Third, they will pressure you to act immediately. They could threaten to have you arrested, file a lawsuit, lose your business or driver’s licence, or deport you. Your computer may be ready to become corrupt, they may claim.
Lastly, they would pressure you to share your personal details such as your bank accounts or email your login details and password. Some may even send a link for you to click to cash in the amount that they were demanding for.
These are the few tricks that the scammers use so it is very important to know how to identify them and avoid from being scammed. The best course of action is not to take any action without properly verifying the situation.
With the rapid growth of technology, these things are bound to happen, but remember to always be careful and remain vigilant.
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