PONTIAN: A 44-year-old trader lost her entire savings of RM188,350 after she fell victim to a phone scam impersonating the police last month.
District police chief Superintendent Mohammad Shofee Tayib said the case came to light after the woman lodged a report on July 21.
The suspect duped the victim by claiming that all the money in her bank account belonged to the Bank Negara Malaysia auditor.
The woman was also told that her bank account would be temporarily frozen pending investigations into her case, which did not exist.
"Fear over the matter, the woman transferred RM188,350 from her account into the bank account of the suspect.
"The woman was also instructed by the suspect to destroy all evidence of the transaction and conversations between them," Shofee said in a statement.
The woman realised that she was duped after she did not receive back the money transferred to the suspect's account and the suspect went incommunicado.
Shofee said the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating which carries the maximum 10 years' jail upon conviction.
He also advised people who wanted to check on the modus operandi of commercial crimes online through the official accounts of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
"The public is also advised to use the CCID infoline and the 'semak mule' service before making any payment transactions," he said.