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New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Over 100 victims urge police to act on investment scam
KUALA LUMPUR: More than 100 victims allegedly duped by an investment scam have come forward to urge the police to take action against the syndicate responsible. The victims gathered outside the Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department at Menara KPJ here this morning, hoping the authorities would expedite the investigation into the case. One of the victims, who only wanted to be known as Vincent, 38, a programmer, said he had dreams of getting married and buying a house. "I learned about the investment scheme through several friends and decided to join in. "I invested a total of RM120,000 before the company abruptly converted our investments into an unknown cryptocurrency with no real value," he said, adding that he has now lost his life savings. Vincent said it was difficult to accept that he had to start saving from scratch. "This was my life savings. How am I supposed to support my parents and my sister, who is still studying, as the sole breadwinner?" he asked. Meanwhile, retired accountant Alan Tan, 58, said he invested more than RM150,000 in the scheme back in 2020. "Without warning, they converted our investments into a cryptocurrency that had no value. "There was no one we could turn to when this happened. I just hope the police will step in and make an example out of them," he said, adding that he and other victims would only be satisfied if those responsible were sentenced to more than 25 years in jail and several strokes of the cane. Tan said many victims had lost their life savings and were forced to sell their homes just to make ends meet because of the scam. Another victim, who only wanted to be known as Ganesh, 50, said he, along with his family members and close friends, had invested nearly RM2 million. "My wife and I now don't know how to face them. "Many of them invested their life savings because, at first, the scheme offered good returns. We were shocked when the company later began paying returns in the form of an unknown cryptocurrency," he said. Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) secretary-general Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim said the organisation had received complaints from 209 victims involving losses amounting to more than RM82.16 million. "All of these victims have lodged police reports. "Based on our checks, the company is owned by a Malaysian and also employed other locals as marketing agents to promote the syndicate's schemes," he said, adding that the victims are urging the police to expedite investigations and bring those responsible to justice.
Straits Times
31-05-2025
- Straits Times
‘It can happen to you': Doctor who almost lost $4 million to fake government officials scam
Believing that she was speaking to real government officials, Dr L (not her real name) almost transferred her life savings to them. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO 'It can happen to you': Doctor who almost lost $4 million to fake government officials scam SINGAPORE - While seeing a patient, Dr L (not her real name) received a call from someone claiming to be a Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) officer working with the police. The man told her she was in trouble with the authorities. Following his instructions, Dr L, 36, wanted to transfer almost $4 million from her bank account to another account for 'safekeeping', in what she thought was a secret anti-money laundering operation. But as she was communicating with the fake official in a video call, a real policewoman called her to warn her that she was talking to scammers. Confused, Dr L struggled to discern who was lying and who was telling the truth. In a media interview arranged by the police on May 28 at Police Cantonment Complex, Dr L said the scammers were very convincing. The general practitioner said: 'I wasn't even second-guessing whether the person (fake cop) I was speaking to was really the police.' Thankfully, she trusted the legitimate authorities and did not lose any money. Sharing screen On April 8, a man with a local accent claiming to be a bank officer called Dr L just as she started her shift at a private clinic. She was not a client of the bank and was surprised to hear the man read the last four digits of her NRIC. He told her someone had used her identity to register a bank card . Her call was transferred to a purported MAS officer. Through a video call, she saw that he was sitting in a meeting room with a backdrop with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and MAS logos. He claimed she was one of about 200 people who had their identities stolen, and that she was a suspect in a nationwide money laundering investigation. The man spoke into a walkie-talkie and referred her to his superior, a purported senior investigation officer named 'Alan Tan', who sent her an arrest warrant on WhatsApp and a photo of his MAS identification card. 'Alan Tan' said gravely: 'If your identity has been stolen, what else is at risk now? Is the money in your account safe?' Dr L, who is single, grew anxious as her parents' life savings were in the account. She said: 'To be honest, I was more worried about protecting my parents' money.' The scammers told her not to tell anyone as investigations were confidential. So for the next two hours, she locked her consultation room door and stayed on the line. She added: 'With a profession like mine, cooperation with the authorities is seen as a sign of good character.' 'Alan Tan' told her to transfer her money to another bank account to prevent identity thieves from accessing it. Dr L opened the bank app on her phone and shared her screen over WhatsApp for him to guide her through the transfer process. Believing she was setting up a bank account in her name, Dr L followed his instructions to transfer $29,999. She later learnt from the real police that the funds were being transferred to an account belonging to an unknown merchant. Battle for trust Bank employees stationed at the SPF's Anti-Scam Command flagged the transfer and quickly alerted Assistant Superintendent of Police Lynn Tan, a senior investigation officer working in the same office. The bank blocked the transfer and ASP Tan immediately called Dr L. Dr L was still on a video call with 'Alan Tan' when ASP Tan's call came in. Seeing the notification on Dr L's shared screen, 'Alan Tan' told her to answer it but warned that there were scammers impersonating the police. Hesitantly, Dr L hung up on the scammers and answered ASP Tan's call. ASP Tan said: 'I could tell she was very confused, because she thought I was the fake police.' Assistant Superintendent of Police Lynn Tan, a senior investigation officer in SPF's Anti-Scam Command, called Dr L in time and convinced her she had fallen for a scam. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO To win Dr L's trust, ASP Tan sent her an SMS via the account, which is accessible only to legitimate government officials. ASP Tan asked Dr L if she had been speaking to 'Alan Tan', a name commonly used by syndicates. Other names include 'Inspector Yang', 'Jason' and 'Kenny'. Finally convinced, Dr L ignored the scammers' subsequent calls. She headed to Police Cantonment Complex to meet ASP Tan, and lodged a report. Dr L said: 'The main feeling I have is gratitude, for the police working with the bank to protect us.' The doctor was surprised at how she had fallen for a scam, as she typically ignores calls from foreign numbers, and is not into investment schemes promising quick gains. To highly educated people who assume they would not fall for scams, Dr L said: 'It can happen to you.' In 2024, victims lost $151.3 million to government official impersonation scams, up from $92.5 million in 2023. ASP Tan urged members of the public to always verify details of people claiming to be government officials through official channels. She said the police would never ask anyone to open bank accounts or transfer money. ASP Tan added: 'I don't think this (government official impersonation scams) will die down any time soon. We need people to be educated and to be aware.' Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Delta offers Toronto crash passengers $30,000 ‘no strings attached' as some retain lawyers
Delta Airlines will pay a five-figure sum to the passengers who were left 'hanging upside down like bats' after their plane flipped while landing at the Toronto Pearson International Airport. Passengers will each be offered $30,000 with 'no strings attached,' according to a Delta spokesperson. That means passengers can still sue and Delta could still have to pay the resulting damages, according to aviation law experts. The payments will total around $228 million. Passengers can still sue Delta for the crash even if they accept the payments, Alan Tan, an aviation law professor at the National University of Singapore, told Business Insider. Aviation attorney Erin Applebaum told the same outlet that payments are 'fairly typical' for major accidents like these. Passengers are already gearing up to sue, with Canadian law firm Rochon Genova announcing some on board have retained their attorneys following the crash. The law firm says passengers can sue for pain and suffering, loss of income, cost of healthcare and any mental health treatment if connected to a physical injury. These passengers could be awarded up to $280,000 CAD without ever having to prove the airline was liable, according to the firm. Any damages above that would require passengers to prove liability. This payment also does not mean Delta is admitting liability, according to The New York Times, and a passenger who wins damages in a later claim will have this initial payment deducted from the total. All 80 people on board survived the Monday afternoon crash but twenty-one people were hospitalized, including one child. All but one person had been discharged as of Wednesday morning. Passengers recalled dangling from their seatbelts after the Bombardier CRJ-900 flipped on the runway. 'We hit the ground and we were sideways, and then we were hanging upside down like bats,' passenger Peter Koukov told ABC News. 'It all happened pretty, pretty fast. The plane was upside down, obviously, some people were kind of hanging and needed some help being helped down.' The crash itself was quick, and that there was 'no warning' beforehand, passenger John Nelson told ABC News. 'It was just incredibly fast. There was a giant firewall down the side. I could actually feel the heat through the glass,' Nelson said. 'Then we were going sideways. I'm not even sure how many times we tumbled, but we ended upside down. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is leading the investigation with assistance from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. Delta and airport officials praised the 'textbook' response from emergency crews following the wreck. Others have also praised flight attendants for getting every single passenger evacuated quickly. 'These people put their lives on the line — they're the last people off the airplane, and I think sometimes we forget that,' Graham Braithwaite, director of aerospace and aviation at Cranfield University, told The Washington Post. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the company's 'most pressing priority remains taking care of all customers and Endeavor crew members who were involved.'
