Teacher loses RM187,000 to Macau scam syndicate

KUANTAN - A teacher has lost RM187,000 after she was duped by a scammer impersonating a policeman from the Bukit Aman police headquarters.

Pahang police chief Datuk Yahaya Othman said the 36-year-old victim lodged a police report over the incident yesterday, claiming that she received a phone call from the suspect on May 10.

The victim was informed by the suspect that an arrest warrant had been issued against her for her involvement in human trafficking activities.

"Panicked and scared that she would be detained by the police, the victim followed the suspect's instructions to transfer her savings into an account and provide all her banking information for investigation purposes.

"The victim was also instructed by the suspect to apply for a personal loan totaling RM130,000, and transfer the money into to the same account,” he said in a statement here today.

Yahaya said the victim only realised that she had been cheated after failing to contact the suspect to ask about the status of the investigation.

He reminded the public not to give their banking information to anyone and to always check with the relevant agencies or police if they received suspicious calls.

Members of the public can check account and telephone numbers on the website https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my/ to prevent them from becoming victims of fraud. - BERNAMA