JOHOR BARU: A 23-year-old nurse lost RM129,000 to a scam after she received a call from an individual posing as a customer service representative of an online shopping platform.
The caller accused her of selling unapproved cosmetic products, allegedly without Health Ministry authorisation.
The nurse, wo works in a private hospital, was led to believe that her bank accounts were under police scrutiny for money laundering activities, after the caller transferred the call to a man claiming to be the case's investigating officer from the Penang police headquarters.
Johor Baru (South) police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat said te woman was then convinced to make 13 cash deposits via a bank cash deposit machine, between July 3 and Nov 6, to six bank accounts, amounting to RM129,000.
The nurse was told the amount transferred would be returned to her account once investigations were concluded.
However, after the last cash deposit was done, the fake investigating officer and online customer service representative cut off all communications with the nurse.
She lodged a police report at 12.14am yesterday, Raub said in a statement today.
He urged the public to be cautious of calls from individuals claiming to represent government agencies.
"Scammers often employ these tactics to scare victims into revealing sensitive personal and financial information," he said.