Kuching woman loses RM161,200 in phone scam

KUCHING (Feb 3): A 26-year-old woman here lost RM161,200 in an elaborate phone scam last month.

Kuching district police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said the incident began on Jan 7, when the victim, while in a public area, received a call from an individual claiming to be a representative of the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC).

“The call was then transferred to a second suspect, who posed as a senior police officer and alleged that the victim’s name was linked to a serious criminal investigation.

“Deceived by the suspects’ tactics, the victim performed 12 separate fund transfers to eight different bank accounts, totalling RM161,200, and was promised that her money would be returned,” he said in a statement.

Alexson said the victim only realised the gravity of the situation after visiting a nearby police station to check on the status of her case.

Upon being informed that no such investigation existed and that the police do not conduct business via phone transfers, she immediately lodged a formal report.

The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.