Senior citizen conned of RM1.44 mln by bogus Putrajaya prosecutor

KUCHING: An elderly man was duped out of RM1.44 million after falling for a phone scam involving a supposed prosecutor from Putrajaya.

The scammer contacted the 69-year-old victim through WhatsApp on Aug 25, claiming that an arrest warrant had been issued against him and his bank accounts were due to be frozen over alleged money laundering activities.

To make the threats appear legitimate, the caller instructed the victim to open a new Alliance Bank account and register the suspect’s phone number under it, supposedly to facilitate investigations.

Believing he was cooperating with the authorities, the victim transferred RM1.41 million into the newly opened account.

However, the money was quickly siphoned off.

The suspect then carried out 26 transactions, moving RM1,353,355 from the newly opened account into his own bank accounts. The victim was also instructed to make another payment of RM90,000 directly into the suspect’s account.

It was only later that the victim realised he had been conned, with his total losses reaching RM1,443,355.

Kuching police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.

If convicted, the offence carries a jail term of up to 10 years, whipping and a possible fine.

Members of the public are urged not to panic when receiving suspicious calls and to terminate them immediately.

Alexson also reminded them never to disclose personal or banking details to unknown callers and to verify suspicious bank accounts and phone numbers through the police’s Semak Mule portal at https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my.

Anyone with information on suspicious activities can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 or the Sarawak Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) via WhatsApp at 011-62890089 or email at [email protected].