Fake embassy call costs Perak student over RM115,000 in scam

IPOH, Feb 9 — A woman lost RM115,786 after falling victim to a phone scam syndicate impersonating authorities since January.

Taiping district police chief ACP Mohamad Nasir Ismail said they received a report on Feb 5 from the 25-year-old woman, who is a student at a university abroad.

He said preliminary investigations revealed that the victim was at home when she received a call from a man impersonating a representative from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China on Jan 13.

“The suspect claimed that a phone number registered under the victim’s name had been used to open an account linked to money laundering activities. The call was then supposedly transferred to a police station in China.

“The victim spoke to individuals claiming to be police officers and prosecutors, who later asked for her account details, identification number and address. She was also instructed to follow all their instructions,” he said in a statement today.

Mohamad Nasir said that out of fear, the victim provided all the requested information and was later instructed to transfer money into five accounts provided by the suspects, allegedly for investigation purposes.

The victim transferred a total of RM115,786 between Jan 15 and Feb 4 into five different accounts.

“On Feb 4, the victim was informed that the investigation had been completed and was instructed to go to the nearest police station to obtain a proof of innocence letter. When the victim arrived at the police station and inquired about the matter, only then did she realise that she had been scammed,” he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. — Bernama