Clerk Loses RM250,000 In Phone Scam After Being Threatened With Arrest
The caller accused her of delivering a package containing five pieces of MyKad, five bank cards, and five passports to a recipient named Nor Azmi Nazri in Terengganu.
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A woman in Miri, Sarawak, was scammed out of RM250,000 after receiving a phone call from an individual claiming to be an agent from a courier company.
The caller accused her of delivering a package containing five pieces of MyKad, five bank cards, and five passports to a recipient named Nor Azmi Nazri in Terengganu.
The victim, who works as a clerk, denied the claims and was then connected to a purported police sergeant.
He told her she was involved in a human trafficking syndicate in Vietnam, and an arrest warrant was issued.
The victim was then asked to surrender all her bank account details to be checked by Bank Negara Malaysia, as the police had found that she was also involved in money laundering.
Panicked by the allegations, the victim transferred RM250,000 to eight different bank accounts between July and early August.
She only realized she had been scammed after calls to a ‘Sergeant Lai’ were blocked.
The victim has since lodged a police report on 10 August.
The police have urged the public to be vigilant and not to fall for phone scams, which have become increasingly common.
Meanwhile, netizens are curious about how a clerk could have such wealth.
Phone Scams on the Rise in Malaysia
Phone scams have become increasingly common in Malaysia, with 51,631 online fraud cases reported between 2019 and 2020, involving a total loss of RM1.61 billion.
The most famous scam is the Macau scam, which has incurred damages up to RM405.7 million as of late last year, with victims ranging from school teachers to retirees and elderly folk.
Other types of scams include online sales scams, online trading scams, African scams, fake loans, and SMS scams.
MALAYSIA: Police detain 77 individuals suspected of involvement in online foreign exchange scam syndicate located in Klang Valley. Police seized 35 computers, 29 laptops, a tablet, 20 mobile phones. https://t.co/Wr43UiI72T
— CyberScamMonitor (@CyberScamWatch) July 5, 2023
In one recent incident, a construction site supervisor’s mobile phone was hacked after he attempted to apply for a personal loan.
READ MORE: Man Loses RM4,600 After Clicking SMS Link, Scammers Use Barisan Nasional’s Name To Steal
The rise in phone scams can be attributed to several factors, including the increasing use of technology and the anonymity it provides scammers.
Additionally, the lack of awareness and education about online fraud and scams has made it easier for scammers to target unsuspecting victims.
The police have set up a Scam Response Team to tackle the issue and are urging the public to be vigilant and not to fall for phone scams.
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