Woman loses RM822,938 to Macau scam syndicate

KUALA LUMPUR - A woman lost RM822,938 after being duped by a Macau scam syndicate impersonating as a police officer and a goods delivery company last week.

Hulu Selangor police chief Supt Ahmad Faizal Tahrim said police received a report by a 33-year-old civil servant on Wednesday after noticing lesser money in her account.

He said the woman had earlier received a phone call from a local man claiming to be from a post office in Perlis who informed the woman that she had sent some items such as personal documents and bank cards to Miri, Sarawak.

"The man involved informed the possibility of the victim's personal information being used by others before instructing the victim to contact two men posing as police officers.

"The suspect also claimed that the victim had a criminal record involving cases of money laundering and drug trafficking and asked for the woman's personal and banking information," he said in a statement today.

He said the initial investigation found that the suspect was a member of the Macau Scam syndicate and the police opened investigation papers under Section 420 of the Penal Code for further investigation.

"The public is advised not to easily believe the claims of unknown parties linking anybody to criminal case. Contact the National Scam Response Centre at 997 for more details," he said. - BERNAMA