Latest news with #RM336
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Bayan Lepas factory engineer loses RM336,760
GEORGE TOWN: An engineer at a factory in Bayan Lepas near here lost RM336,760 after falling victim to a phone scam syndicate in a recent incident. Penang police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the 35-year-old woman received a phone call from an unknown number while at work on March 25. 'A man introducing himself as a representative of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) claimed that her phone number had been linked to 33 police reports for various crimes before the call was supposedly transferred to the Sarawak Police Contingent headquarters, where she spoke to another officer. 'The second police officer claimed that she was involved in a money laundering case and ordered her to hand over all her money for investigation, assuring her that the money would be returned after it was completed. The suspect also threatened to issue an arrest warrant if she failed to comply,' he said in a statement today. Hamzah said the frightened victim followed the suspect's instructions and transferred money online into 14 bank accounts from March 25 and June 9, until all her savings were drained. He said when the suspect continued to demand more money, the victim realised she had been scammed and filed a police report yesterday.
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Bayan Lepas factory engineer loses RM336,760 to phone scam syndicate
GEORGE TOWN: An engineer at a factory in Bayan Lepas near here lost RM336,760 after falling victim to a phone scam syndicate in a recent incident. Penang police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the 35-year-old woman received a phone call from an unknown number while at work on March 25. 'A man introducing himself as a representative of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) claimed that her phone number had been linked to 33 police reports for various crimes before the call was supposedly transferred to the Sarawak Police Contingent headquarters, where she spoke to another officer. 'The second police officer claimed that she was involved in a money laundering case and ordered her to hand over all her money for investigation, assuring her that the money would be returned after it was completed. The suspect also threatened to issue an arrest warrant if she failed to comply,' he said in a statement today. Hamzah said the frightened victim followed the suspect's instructions and transferred money online into 14 bank accounts from March 25 and June 9, until all her savings were drained. He said when the suspect continued to demand more money, the victim realised she had been scammed and filed a police report yesterday.
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Engineer loses over RM336,000 in phone scam
GEORGE TOWN: A 35-year-old engineer has fallen victim to a phone scam, losing a staggering RM336,760 in a fraud that spanned several weeks. Southwest District police confirmed receiving a police report on the case. Police have opened an investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which deals with cheating. State police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said, according to the engineer's report, the victim's ordeal began on March 25, when the engineer received a suspicious phone call while at work in a factory in Bayan Lepas. The victim claimed the caller had introduced himself as a representative from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and allegedly told the engineer that the victim's phone number had been linked to 33 police reports involving criminal activities. The call was then "transferred" to an individual claiming to be a police officer from the Sarawak contingent police headquarters (IPK Sarawak). "The impersonator accused the engineer of involvement in money laundering and was instructed to transfer funds to multiple bank accounts for the purposes of an 'investigation'. "To gain the engineer's trust, the suspect falsely promised that the money would be returned once the investigation was completed. "The victim was also threatened with an arrest warrant should the engineer fail to comply. Frightened and believing the claims to be true, the victim made multiple online transfers and cash deposits into 14 different bank accounts over the course of nearly three months, from March 25 to June 9. The total amount transferred was RM336,760," he said in a statement today. Hamzah said the scam only came to light when the scammer continued to demand additional payments. The engineer then lodged a police report. The latest incident came less than 24 hours after it was reported that police had launched investigations into separate cases of online investment fraud that cost two retirees a combined total of RM1,148,370, highlighting the growing threat of financial scams targeting unsuspecting victims via social media platforms.
The Star
9 hours ago
- The Star
Engineer loses over RM300,000 in phone scam
GEORGE TOWN: An engineer here has lost more than RM300,000 after falling victim to a phone scam. Penang police chief Comm Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the 35-year-old woman, who works at a factory in Bayan Lepas, was contacted on March 25 by a man claiming to be a representative of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). "The suspect said the victim's phone number was involved in 33 police reports related to criminal activities," he said in a statement on Tuesday (June 17) Comm Hamzah said the call was then transferred to the "Sarawak police contingent headquarters" and the victim then spoke to another suspect claiming to be a police officer. He said the "officer" told her she had been implicated in a money laundering case and would have to surrender all her money while an investigation was conducted. The suspect also assured the victim that the money would be returned after the investigation, threatening her with arrest if she failed to comply. Comm Hamzah said that out of fear, the victim made online transfers and cash deposits totalling RM336,760 to 14 bank accounts from March 25 to June 9. "The victim realised she had been deceived when the suspect continued to demand additional payments even though her savings were depleted," he said. The victim then lodged a report at Balik Pulau police headquarters. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
