Trapped by scammers due to fear

KUALA LUMPUR - Psychological factors and fear when receiving fake calls related to security issues are among the factors causing individuals to fall victim to the Macau scam syndicate.

Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK) director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said the public needs to know that the authorities will not make such calls.

He said even when the police had raise awareness regarding the matter to the public, there are still some who were caught by this syndicate.

"The main reason identified is the psychological factor where most of the people who received these scam calls are afraid of dealing with situations related to security issues, police arrests and so on.

"But what they need to know is that no such calls will be made by the police, banks, customs, the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) and so on.

"Unfortunately, some victims are willing to take out a bank loan to pay the scammer and then pay back the bank for the loan," he told Sinar on Saturday.

Ramli said the department has been trying to raisevawareness on the matter but there are still a lot of people who are unaware or easily emotionally disturbed by such calls.

He said the Macau scam modus operandi is still the same, which is receiving prohibited goods or free calls and so on.

"My advise is to not entertain such calls," he said.

Among the Macau Scam cases reported by Sinar since last April 1 was a case of a 51-year-old female teacher losing RM250,000 after she was scammed by a syndicate posing as insurance and police officers.

Meanwhile in a report last Feb 5, the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) savings belonging to a 56-year-old woman amounting to RM141,000 disappeared overnight after she was deceived by the Macau scam syndicate.

On May 27, a civil servant worker who is in his 50s had lost RM852,000 after falling victim to a scam syndicate where the scammer uses tactics of impersonating insurance officers, court officials and the police during a phone call.