Elaborate scam that began with ad on Facebook fleeces 78-year-old Kuching woman of RM21,700

Borneo Post

2 days ago

The victim (second left) and her family members are seen with Lo (centre) and Councillor Alvin Chong. – Photo by Frankie Junau
KUCHING (Aug 5): A 78-year-old woman here lost RM21,700 in an elaborate scam that began with an advertisement on Facebook last month.
According to the woman's 54-year-old daughter, on July 9, a vegetarian food sale advertisement on Facebook prompted her mother to place an order with the number provided.
'The person made a video call to my mother, supposedly to assist with placing the order because she couldn't access the website,' the daughter told a press conference at Batu Kitang assemblyman Datuk Lo Khere Chiang's service centre today.
The individual then called the victim on WhatsApp, citing poor internet connection, and took about an hour to talk about vegetarian food and free vouchers.
This led to a request for a photo of the woman's ATM card for 'verification purposes only'.
The daughter claimed that although her mother did not send the photo, it may have been accessed remotely via malware embedded in the call or website link.
'I received a call from my mother, around 6pm, saying she thinks she's been scammed, as she had received a message from the bank, saying her password had been changed and she could not log into her online account,' the daughter said.
They then went to a nearby ATM and found two transfers – one for RM6,900 and another for RM14,800 – leaving a balance of RM75.24.
She claimed the funds had been transferred to accounts at two separate banks, with full details obtained later through her mother's bank and included in a police report.
She also claimed her mother's bank believes her phone might have been compromised by a virus, allowing third-party control over the device.
According to the daughter, this enabled the syndicate to access her mother's WhatsApp account and begin sending messages to contacts, including family members, requesting money transfers.
'I also found three unknown apps installed on her phone, which could not be deleted despite multiple attempts.
'It is believed the syndicate used the video call to record my mother's face and stored all her photos and family information from the phone,' she said.
Further checks revealed there were attempts to access two other banking apps on the victim's phone, but both were blocked by the bank's security system as suspicious.
The family eventually removed the SIM card and logged into WhatsApp on a different device to regain control of the account and halt further scam attempts.
Despite their efforts, the daughter said they had yet to receive a clear resolution from authorities or the bank.
'I hope the authorities and financial institutions will investigate urgently, as the scammer's phone number and Facebook account are still active,' she said.
According to her, the family wished to speak out to help others, particularly the elderly, to be more cautious when engaging with suspicious links or unknown apps.
Lo also appealed to the public to be more aware and cautious of scams.
He pointed out Malaysia records losses of up to RM13 billion annually due to online scams and called for firm action against such syndicates. lead Lo Khere Chiang online scam