MALAYSIA: A former company manager lost RM241,000 after falling victim to a phone scam syndicate that falsely claimed he was linked to a money laundering case.
Kluang district police chief ACP Bahrin Mohd Noh said the 47-year-old victim lodged a police report on Saturday after realising he had been deceived.
According to police, the victim received a call on Nov 6 from an unknown individual who introduced himself as an officer from the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC). The call was later transferred to someone claiming to represent the Terengganu police contingent headquarters.
“The victim was told that his phone number had been misused and that an arrest warrant had been issued in his name,” ACP Bahrin said.
He added that the suspect instructed the victim to transfer all his money to several bank accounts as part of the so-called investigation. Between Nov 18 and Nov 27, the victim made payments to seven different bank accounts.
The victim only realised he had been scammed after failing to recover the transferred funds and subsequently lodged a police report. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. Source: BERNAMA
🔍 HackWarn.com Analysis
Why this scam worked:
- Scammers impersonated trusted authorities (NSRC and police).
- Fear was used by claiming an arrest warrant and money laundering charges.
- Victim was pressured to act quickly without verification.
- Multiple bank accounts were used to complicate tracing.
Public reminder:
No government agency or police will ever ask you to transfer money, clear cases over the phone, or threaten arrest via calls.
Always verify directly using official numbers and report suspicious calls immediately.
