KUANTAN: A company manager lost RM108,750 after unknowingly sharing his online banking details with a scammer posing as a police officer on Sept 2.
The 38-year-old victim was deceived into providing his banking information under the pretence of clearing his name, which the scammer claimed was linked to money laundering activities.
Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the victim, who is from Kuantan, received a call on Sept 2 from an individual impersonating an officer from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
"The caller informed the victim that his account was involved in money laundering activities and then transferred the call to a fake police officer. This 'officer' assured the victim that his account could be cleared with assistance from Bank Negara Malaysia," he said in a statement today.
Believing the call was legitimate, the victim provided his online banking details for "investigation purposes."
He only realised he had been scammed when a third party made 16 unauthorised transactions, depleting his savings by RM108,750.
Yahaya advised the public to remain calm if they received phone calls from strangers claiming they were involved in criminal activities and to verify such claims directly with their financial institution.