Miri civil servant duped of RM385,000 in false money laundering claim
MIRI (July 29): A civil servant lost RM385,000 from his Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings to a scammer posing as a police officer, who accused him of money laundering.
Miri police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the Commercial Crime Investigation Division here received a police report on the fraud case yesterday.
He said the victim in his 50s, who works as an assistant executive at a government agency, received a call from an unknown individual, who introduced himself as a police officer from the Penang police headquarters.
The suspect accused the victim of being involved in money laundering and claimed he was on the police's wanted list.
'The victim was instructed to withdraw funds from his EPF and hand it over to the police for investigation purposes.
'He only realised he had been deceived in an online scam involving impersonation of a police officer when he was asked to make another payment. He suffered a financial loss of RM385,000,' Mohd Farhan said in a statement today.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of between one year and 10 years in prison, caning, and a fine.
Mohd Farhan advised the public to remain vigilant and to never disclose or provide any financial information to unknown callers.
He said the public must always be cautious and take necessary precautions online, especially if the caller claims to be a friend, acquaintance, courier, law enforcement officer, or court official.
'If you have recently transferred funds to any bank account or e-wallet belonging to a suspect, you are advised to contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) on 997 immediately to report non-existent loans, love scams, e-commerce scams phone scams, and others,' he added.
Telephone numbers and bank account details can also be verified through http://semakmule.rmp.gov.my before making any financial transaction. lead Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah Scam call
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