KUANTAN: A nurse was left devastated after she emptied her entire savings when she was duped by an online scam syndicate impersonating a National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) officer.
The 41-year-old victim from Temerloh transferred RM88,700 after being told that her bank account was allegedly linked to money-laundering activities and that the payment was required to 'settle' the case.
Acting Pahang police chief Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin said the victim received a call last week from a man posing as an NSRC officer, claiming her bank account was being monitored by the police as it had been misused by syndicate members.
"The call was transferred to another individual who claimed to be a police officer and informed the victim her account was also linked with money laundering activities.
"The officer advised the victim to transfer all her savings into another account until the case is over.
"The victim panicked and made 12 transactions amounting RM88,700 into three1-year separate bank accounts provided by the bogus police officer before realising she had been cheated," he said, adding the case was investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
He said individuals who receive such calls should verify account and phone numbers at the official portal (https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my) to mitigate the risk of falling victim to scams.
On June 22, Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf warned the public not to be duped to syndicates impersonating NSRC officers saying the centre will not call any individual.