
Chong Wei comes close to becoming online scam victim, urges all to be careful
Lee Chong Wei posted the contact details of the scammer on his social media.
PETALING JAYA: Not even a national icon is safe from scammers and Datuk Lee Chong Wei nearly became their latest target.
The three-time Olympic silver medallist Chong Wei revealed that he received a suspicious call around noon on Thursday (May 8) from someone claiming to be 'Roslan' from the Cyberjaya Cyber Crime Prevention Unit.
What shocked him most was that the caller also read out his identity card and phone numbers, and accused him of being involved in a scam operation based in Melaka.
Outraged by the baseless accusation, Chong Wei insisted on reporting the matter to the police and demanded the office address of the so-called enforcement officer.
The call, however, was abruptly cut off after a brief exchange.
Following the incident, Chong Wei urged the public to remain vigilant and not fall prey to these syndicates, which often use fear and greed to manipulate victims.
'Never reveal your IC number, bank details, passwords or OTP codes. Don't make any transfers or scan QR codes sent to you. Always verify through official channels – call legitimate numbers or visit actual websites or offices.
'If the call involves a family member, contact them directly.
"Mark scam numbers on apps or your phone to help warn others. Remind your loved ones, especially the elderly.
"Set a 'secret password' for your family if needed. If your data has been compromised, change your passwords immediately, freeze your accounts and lodge a police report. Keep all evidence,' he wrote on his social media.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Vigilant M'sians wising up to scams
OH, Malaysia – land of nasi lemak, humid weather, and unfortunately, con artists who work harder than a kopitiam aunty during breakfast rush. If you have not received a call from 'PosLaju', 'Maybank' or a serious-sounding 'officer' from Bukit Aman threatening to freeze your MyKad – are you even Malaysian? Let us begin with the infamous 'police call' scam. You answer a lucky number and you are knee-deep in drama. 'Salam sir, ini Inspector Roslan dari Bukit Aman. Nama kamu terlibat dalam kes melibatkan sindiket dadah dan 17 akaun palsu di Sabah.' (Salam, sir. This is Inspector Roslan from Bukit Aman. Your name has been linked to a drug syndicate and 17 fake accounts in Sabah.) One minute you are waiting in line for roti canai and the next, you are apparently a criminal mastermind. On top of that, the scammers will generously offer to 'help clear your name' – for a small, totally-not-fishy bank transfer to a third-party account, of course. Then there is the 'PosLaju' version. They call and tell you that your package has been seized because it contains something illegal, like drugs or fake credit cards, and somehow your name is in the middle of it. You are wondering: 'I only bought baju kurung from Shopee, how did this spiral into a global crime?' Not to be outdone, the 'Macau scam' (not named for where it originated but for how flashy it is) is the most upscale of all cons. They mix police impersonation with bank warnings and even go so far as to claim to be Bank Negara officials. These fellows work together better than a kenduri caterer, and their condescension? Olympic standards. They talk so fast and earnestly that you start questioning yourself if you did unintentionally start a money laundering operation in your sleep. Romance scams have also found a ground in our tropical paradise. Some isolated aunty thinks she has met her soulmate on Facebook – maybe a gruff, widowed army medic supposedly trapped in Syria or an oil rig worker in the South China Sea who, oddly enough, types like he is using Google Translate. Before you know it, she has sent RM20,000 for visa fees, emergency flights or 'life-saving surgery'. And all this without even a single Zoom date. And who can forget the classic 'scratch and win' scams of the early 2000s? Some overly enthusiastic guy at the mall hands you a scratch card that declares you've 'won a car' – but first, of course, you have to fork out RM5,000 in 'processing fees'. Malaysians were led to believe they could be cruising around in a brand new Toyota Vios soon, only to walk away with a pressure cooker and deep regret for existing. The internet age has not left us lagging too. WhatsApp scams are going strong globally and right here at home. 'Hi mummy, I've lost my number. Please transfer RM3,000 to this account – I lost my phone.' You are frantic. Your child is stranded! But wait – your child is five years old. Can barely write, let alone use online banking. And, praise be to God for the fearless scammers now boldly masquerading as Maybank. You get a text: 'Your Maybank2u account is locked. Click this link to verify.' The link, of course, looks like it came straight out of a phishing-themed action movie: Even the grammar gives up halfway through. But the real cherry on top? Scammers pretending to be officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, accusing you of graft. Imagine-lah – you, still bargaining over 20 sen at the pasar malam, somehow laundering millions. Seriously, it would almost be flattering... if it weren't such a facepalm moment. And Malaysians God bless us –we are a polite lot. Even when we are suspicious, we still listen. We politely respond with 'hmm' and 'oh really?' through the entire scam call because we do not want to be impolite. Then we hang up and immediately tell our cousin: 'I think I kena scam just now.' But it is not all bad news. The tide, my friends, is turning! Malaysians are no longer so easily swayed by a sob story from a mysterious 'Syrian general' or promises of a free car (which, let's be honest, would probably be a Proton Saga from 1992 anyway). There is a growing wave of public vigilance so strong you can almost hear the collective 'tsks' of disappointment from scammers nationwide. Recent reports from the National Scam Response Centre – bless their diligent hearts – read like the beginning of a superhero origin story. In just the first three months of 2024, they reportedly recovered over RM20 million. That is enough to buy a small island – or at the very least, a lifetime supply of kuih muih. This just goes to show that quick action and a good old-fashioned dose of Malaysian skepticism can make a difference. Even our beloved police are getting in on the act, sharing scam warnings on social media like gossip at a pasar malam. They are dropping knowledge bombs on new scam tactics faster than a mamak can whip up a roti canai banjir. As a result, aunty now wisely calls her children before transferring money. Uncle and this makcik no longer answer unknown numbers. And the cats? Even they are wise – no longer trusting the postman when he claims he is delivering a package of tuna – they know it is probably just another bill. It is a beautiful sight to behold. Thus, my dear Malaysians, remain vigilant. If anyone tells you that you owe the LHDN money or that there is a package addressed to you with meth inside, take a deep breath, brew yourself a cup of teh tarik and repeat the following: if it sounds daft, it probably is. And if you suddenly 'win' a Perodua Myvi for doing absolutely nothing, just chuckle, delete the message and go win a real one from a petrol station lucky draw like the rest of us. Scamlah... not today. Azura Abas is the associate editor of theSun. Comments: letters@


The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Athletics-Gold medallist Thomas harassed by bettor at Grand Slam Track
FILE PHOTO: May 3, 2025; Miramar, FL, USA; Gabby Thomas aka Gabrielle Thomas (USA) reacts after winning the short sprints women's 200m in 21.95 during the Grand Slam Track Miami at Ansin Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images/File Photo NEW YORK (Reuters) -Three-times Olympic gold medallist Gabby Thomas said she was verbally abused at the Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia last weekend, the latest incident of harassment the American has reported this year. Thomas, who won gold in the 200 metres, and 4x100m and 4x400m relays in Paris, said in a post on X that a man followed her around the track while she took pictures for fans and signed autographs, shouting personal insults at her. "Anybody who enables him online is gross," wrote Thomas. Thomas' post was in response to another on X which contained a video of a person heckling Thomas while she was on the starting line, shouting "you're a choke artist - you're going down, Gabby". "I made Gabby lose by heckling her. And it made my parlay win," the social media user wrote, with a screenshot of two multi-leg bets on the FanDuel sportsbook platform. Grand Slam Track did not immediately respond to a request for comment. One of American track's brightest stars, Thomas catapulted to mainstream fame after her breakout performance in Paris, gracing the cover of American "Vogue" magazine and appearing on U.S. talk shows. But Thomas has also suffered the darker side of fame, describing on TikTok this year how she was stalked by a group of men at several airports, as social media gives female athletes greater exposure. The incident at Grand Slam Track also reflected a growing link between sports betting and harassment, with female tennis players including Caroline Garcia pointing to "unhealthy betting" as a key culprit. Major tennis governing bodies moved to combat online abuse published last year a report that attributed nearly half of abusive social media posts to angry gamblers. "Thank you for pointing out this disgusting behavior," retired former world 10,000 metres silver medallist and NBC Sports commentator Kara Goucher wrote on X. "You are exposing the crap that women go through and will eventually help other women as well." (Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, editing by Ed Osmond)


The Sun
6 days ago
- The Sun
British paddler says spicy OnlyFans posts led to suspension
BRITISH canoeist Kurts Adams Rozentals says he has been banned from training and competing because of his use of social media platform OnlyFans to raise money for his career. Rozentals, who competes in canoe slalom and is part of Paddle UK's World Class Programme for Olympic hopefuls, was suspended in April by the governing body. In a statement, Paddle UK did not disclose the nature of the allegations, but said he was under an interim action, pending the outcome of an independent investigation. Rozentals told the BBC he began using OnlyFans -- a subscription-based service that allows users to monetise content, some of it adult in nature -- to post 'spicy' material. 'I have been posting videos (on Instagram) that are consciously made to be edgy in order to drive conversions to my spicy content page (on OnlyFans), to fund this ultimate dream of going to the Olympics,' Rozentals said. Under Paddle UK's World Class Programme, Rozentals receives 16,000 pounds in funding for his training but he says that does not allow him to be a full-time athlete. Now, he says he is being forced to choose between pursuing his career and making an income via social media. 'This is the hardest decision that I've ever faced in my life,' Rozentals, who set up his OnlyFans account in January, said. 'I came to the realisation about why I started doing this last winter after years of struggle, living on the edge, my mum working 90 hours-a-week, having bailiffs at the door. 'I'm going to find a way where we don't have to struggle, where my mum can enjoy her life and I'm able to put everything into this sport because when you're thinking about how to pay the rent this month and you're standing at the start line, that's not very conducive (to performing well).' Paddle UK said it's interim action was not a disciplinary case but was 'a neutral act' designed to protect all parties. 'It was taken to ensure the integrity of the investigation and to safeguard other athletes, staff, and volunteers due to the nature of the allegations,' a statement said. 'Paddle UK is committed to ensuring a safe and open environment for all, and interim action under the Athlete Disciplinary Policy is only taken where necessary and proportionate.' Athletes in other sports have used OnlyFans to fund careers. At last year's Paris Olympics gay New Zealand rower Robbie Manson told Reuters that posting adult-themed content on the site had vastly-increased his income. 'The fact that I'm gay, I have the gay following and the audience already, and I'm slightly leaning into that,' he said. 'I wouldn't say it's for everyone, (but) for other athletes, there's definitely an opportunity there.' British diver Jack Laugher, who won bronze in the men's synchronised 3m springboard in Paris, said he created his OnlyFans in 2024 to 'make ends meet'.