JOHOR BARU: A teacher lost RM243,000 after being scammed by two people who claimed to be officers from the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NFCC) and a policeman.
Seri Alam police chief Superintendent Mohd Sohaimi Ishak said the 39-year-old victim's troubles began when she received a call on Nov 5 from someone claiming to be an NFCC officer.
"The suspect told the woman that her bank account was linked to fraudulent activities," he said in a statement.
"To convince her, he connected her to a second person, who introduced himself as a policeman attached to the Sarawak police headquarters."
The victim was told that she was involved in money laundering activities.
She was asked to transfer money into a bank account for audit purposes.
"Believing the suspect, the victim made nine transactions totalling RM243,000 to two accounts between Nov 5 and 23."
"She only realised that she had been scammed after being told to make additional transactions," he said, adding that the victim lodged a police report yesterday.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Sohaimi said action may also be taken under Section 424 of the Penal Code, which relates to offences involving payment instruments or accounts in financial institutions.
He urged the public to be cautious of scams where individuals ask for personal or banking details or request money transfers.
On its website, the NFCC states that neither it nor the National Scam Response Centre will contact the public regarding any misconduct or investigation into financial fraud cases.