Ranau civil servant loses RM13,000 in scammers posing as officials
KOTA KINABALU: A civil servant in his 30s lost RM13,000 in savings after falling victim to a scam by imposters posing as officials.
The victim reportedly received a call from someone claiming to be an official from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and later, a policeman, accusing him of spreading fake news on investments, job offers, and gambling.
Ranau OCPD Supt Mursalin Mahmud said the victim allegedly received the calls on May 27, initially from someone claiming to be an MCMC officer.
"The caller claimed that his phone number was involved in the dissemination of fake messages. The call was then allegedly reconnected to another individual claiming to be a policeman from the Perak Police Headquarters," he said.
After lengthy conversations and instilling fear, the victim was ordered to transfer RM13,000 to a bank account belonging to one Muhammad Azlan for 'account protection,' he explained.
Supt Mursalin said the victim was also instructed to update photos and personal details every three hours to the 'cop' as a form of reporting himself to the police.
"Later, the victim realised that he had been cheated and lodged a report at the Ranau Police Station on Tuesday (June 10) night," he said.
The case is now being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Supt Mursalin urged the public to remain calm and think rationally when receiving calls from unknown numbers to avoid being scammed.
He emphasised the importance of staying composed when speaking to supposed authorities and enforcement agencies via phone calls to protect oneself from becoming victims of cheating syndicates.
He also warned against revealing any personal, banking, or identification information over the phone, and advised against carrying out monetary transactions online or via telephone.
"Always call back the police station or agencies allegedly involved on their official land-lines to verify any calls or matters," stressed Supt Mursalin.
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