KUANTAN: An elderly man lost RM184,000 of his hard-earned savings after being tricked into divulging his savings account details to scammers early this month.
The 75-year-old victim was duped by a bogus policeman, who claimed that his bank account would be probed by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) for money laundering activities.
Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the victim claimed that he received a phone call from an individual who introduced himself as a cop from Bukit Aman on Sept 8.
"The 'officer' told the victim that his bank account number had been used for money laundering activities and instructed the victim to open a new savings account.
"The victim was told to transfer all his money into the new account for investigation purposes.
"The victim then opened a new account and transferred RM184,000 into the account before providing the bank account details to the officer.
"The officer informed the victim that BNM would contact him after completing the necessary procedures," he said here today.
Yahaya said the victim realised he had been cheated when he did not hear from the bogus officer and lodged a police report yesterday.
He said the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
He advised the public to contact the nearest police station to verify information if they received such calls.