KERIAN: A housewife lost RM459,754 after falling victim to scammers posing as an insurance agent and a policeman who claimed that she had submitted false claims and was involved in extortion and illegal gambling.
Perak police chief Datuk Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said the 52-year-old housewife had lodged a police report at the district police headquarters here on April 8.
"The incident happened in February this year when the victim received a phone call from the scammers, who claimed to be an insurance agent and policeman saying that she had submitted false claims and was involved in extortion and illegal gambling.
"For investigation purposes, the woman was asked to disclose her account information to the scammer," he said in a statement today.
Mohd Yusri said that the woman only realised that she was deceived by the scammers' words after sharing the matter with her family members.
"She then immediately checked her bank account and realised that RM459,754 of her savings was gone," he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
He also advised the people to be wary of such scam calls and they could verify the calls by contacting district police headquarters at 05-721 2222 or CCID Scam Response at 03-2610 1559 or National Scam Response Centre at 997.