Perak has been plagued by phone scams in recent months, with professionals like doctors, lecturers, and retired civil servants falling victim to these scams, resulting in significant financial losses. Despite the numerous news reports on phone scams, many people continue to lose money, possibly due to a lack of awareness and vigilance.
Even I have encountered such phone calls. Last year, an alleged representative from an insurance company contacted me, claiming that I had outstanding payments to a private hospital. Despite the caller possessing my full name and MyKad number, I sensed something was wrong as I hadn’t received any treatment at that hospital. I decided to investigate further and hung up.
Concerns about possible credit card and MyKad cloning also crossed my mind. When I discussed the incident with my wife, her immediate reaction was “scam.” Confirming her suspicion, a police officer advised me to ignore the call, explaining that scammers require additional personal information such as banking details and passwords to carry out their fraudulent activities.
Various phone scams exist, but the most common involves scammers impersonating police officers. They accuse victims of involvement in illegal activities or pose as representatives from financial institutions, the court, or delivery service companies. To avoid detection, scammers typically request funds to be transferred to multiple bank accounts under different names.
Perak police chief Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri emphasized in a press statement that the police would never threaten anyone over the phone or request money transfers from their bank accounts. Legitimate police calls only involve requests for in-person appearances at the police station.
The simplest advice is to ignore unfamiliar numbers. However, if you do answer such a call, remain calm, do not panic, and never disclose your banking details. If in doubt, hang up and consult with family members, regardless of scammers’ warnings against doing so.
It is crucial to remind family members, especially the elderly, to be cautious when receiving calls from unknown numbers. Vigilance plays a crucial role in protecting oneself from falling victim to phone scams.
There are many types of phone scams but the most common are callers impersonating the police. – Filepic
Credit: The Star : Metro Feed
