In Taiping, a 55-year-old housewife became a victim of a parcel scam, resulting in a loss of RM181,650. Perak police chief Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri shared that the woman received a call from a person claiming to be from a courier company on Feb 21 at around 2pm. The caller mentioned a package allegedly sent by the victim to Kuantan in Pahang, which supposedly contained three identification cards, three passports, and two ATM cards.
The victim denied sending such items, but the scam continued as another call came, purportedly from the courier company. The call was then transferred to the Pahang police contingent headquarters, where the caller claimed a police report had been filed and advised the victim to check her WhatsApp for more information.
Subsequently, a video call was received by the victim from an individual identifying as ‘Inspector Chong’, who alleged the victim’s involvement in money laundering activities with a Taiping bank manager, resulting in the sale of her bank account for RM150,000. The victim refuted these claims, stating she had not sold her account or received any money.
To resolve the supposed issue, ‘Inspector Chong’ instructed the victim to meet with a Datuk Kong from the police headquarters on the same day. Later, a WhatsApp message from Datuk Kong directed the victim to transfer all her savings to various provided accounts for investigation purposes. Fearing consequences like frozen bank accounts, the victim complied and made 20 transactions to four different bank accounts, totaling RM181,650.
Realizing she may have fallen victim to a scam, the woman reported the incident to the police on Saturday (Feb 24). The case is now under investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. Comm Mohd Yusri emphasized caution, urging the public to be wary of potential scam threats and to refrain from panicking or engaging with unknown callers posing as enforcement authorities.
He advised immediate disconnection from such calls and reassured that the police do not make arrest calls to individuals. It serves as a reminder to exercise vigilance and skepticism when faced with unexpected or suspicious requests over the phone.
