KUALA LUMPUR: Popular actor and comedian Bell Ngasri reminds everyone to be alert when receiving Telegram or WhatsApp messages from their 'acquaintances' seeking financial help, as they could actually be from scammers.
In a recent Harian Metro report, the 44-year-old artiste whose real name is Nasrizal @ Ngasrizal Ngasri said that while we should be concerned about their 'predicament', it would be better if we verified the claim first by calling them up to speak to them directly.
"This had happened to me once, during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period. A scammer pretended to be the actor Mubarak Majid and sent a WhatsApp message to me asking for help.
"Instead of calling Uncle Mubarak, I only replied to the message and received more sob stories. So of course I transferred the money to the account number given," he said.
Bell added that he had since become more cautious when receiving such messages.
"But apparently, you still hear more scam cases like this happening today. I think people should be more alert.
"What happened to me had already been written and shared on social media. It should serve as a reminder to all.
"So when you get such messages, call the supposed person to confirm if the person is in actual need of financial help. Don't just reply to the message," he said.
In 2021, Bell lost RM1,000 when he thought he had transferred the sum to Mubarak.
Only later did he discover that he had been scammed.
Recently, Rabbani's frontman Azadan Abdul Aziz had his phone hacked and a scammer sent out such messages to those in his contact list.
Fellow nasyid singer Fitri Haris lost RM2,000 when he transferred the money without calling Azadan first.