A company director in Johor Bahru district lost RM6.2 million last year, believed to be due to business email hacking. The Johor police chief, Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat, stated that on August 9th, the police received a report about the case involving a 54-year-old company director. The losses occurred when the victim received an email from a supplier requesting payment to be made to a different bank account than usual.
From the investigation, it was discovered that in February of the previous year, the complainant’s company made a machine purchase from abroad that cost around RM6,216,840 and had made payment to the account provided. However, the complainant later learned that the supplier did not receive any payment and did not send any email requesting a change in the account number. This led to suspicion that the company’s email had been hacked.
As a result, the company made payments into another account. Kamarul Zaman stated that the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, whipping, and fines. Johor police are advising the public and companies to exercise caution when dealing with payments, especially if they receive an email instructing payment to be made to an account other than the usual one.
The police chief further emphasized the importance of direct communication and confirmation with the supplier before making any payments. He also advised companies to enhance the security of their computer systems to ensure a higher level of protection. – Bernama
Credit: The Star : News Feed
