Loss of RM20,000 seduced man disguised as a friend

SERIAN, 12 Nov: A 50-year-old man suffered a loss of RM20,000 after being defrauded by an individual disguised as his friend in the Serian incident, yesterday.

Serian Regional Police Chief Superintendent Freddy Bian Stanislaus Bian confirmed that he has received reports regarding the fraud case involving a victim from Kuching.

"According to reports, the incident is believed to have occurred around 11.30 am when the victim was at a coffee shop in Serian.

"The victim received a phone call from an individual who introduced himself as his friend before applying for a loan of RM20,000 for the purpose of paying employees' salaries", he said in a statement today.

He said, trusting the individual, the victim then made two transactions by transferring money from a bank account to an account provided by the suspect.

"However, the victim realized he was being deceived after finding out that the individual who contacted him was not his friend as alleged.

"The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code", he said.

He said the initial check found that the phone number used by the suspect had no record of a mule account being checked, but the bank account number in question had police reporting records in other districts.

Police are currently conducting an investigation to identify the individuals involved and track the money flows.