BATU PAHAT, Oct 22 — A 71-year-old local woman recently lost more than RM400,000 of her savings to a scammer who pretended to be a policeman from the Perak police contingent headquarters.
Batu Pahat police chief Assistant Commissioner Ismail Dollah today said the victim received a phone call from the suspect who introduced himself as “Sergeant Ong” back in August.
“The suspect introduced himself as a ‘Sergeant Ong’ and informed the victim that she had a debt with the bank before the call was connected to a Datuk Seri who alleged that the complainant was also involved in drug crimes.
“The suspect then offered to help the victim in solving her predicament by transferring the money in her account to a given account.
“The victim fell for the suspect’s claims and made four transactions through an automated teller machine and one via online banking last Thursday,” said Ismail in a statement.
According to Ismail, the transactions totalled RM426,450.
He said police are investigating the case under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating which provides for up to 10 years imprisonment, canning and fines.
He advised the public to be careful when receiving phone calls by anyone claiming to be a policeman, adding that they can check with the nearest police station if they are in doubt.
