WITH a good script and convincing stories, scammers have tricked their victims into transferring hundreds of thousands of ringgit into their bank accounts without the victims realising they have been conned.

Over the years, police and embassies worldwide have used various channels to remind the public about online scams. Yet, there are still many out there who continue to fall for such cons.

Last month, Malaysian police crippled one such syndicate after arresting 20 members of the Macau Scam syndicate, including eight policemen who allegedly turned a blind eye to their activities. Their investigations also revealed the involvement of local celebrities in the scams.

The arrests and the drama which followed, including the escape of a suspect as well as the lack of any prosecution, continue to hog headlines.

Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) is set to ask Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin when the Dewan Rakyat resumes today to explain the government’s actions against the scammers.

One of the victims who spoke to The Malaysian Insight is Chan, a 58-year-old from Kuantan, Pahang, who lost his entire savings of RM150,000 to a syndicate claiming to be police officers from Bukit Aman in 2018.

The syndicate called Chan and told him that he had broken the law for buying sleeping pills and was involved in a money-laundering scheme and was summoned to the court.

Chan was asked to transfer his savings to another bank account to avoid the money from being frozen. He was told the money will be returned to him when the investigations are over.

“I withdrew about RM150,000 from EPF for home repairs. I told the caller that I had no money but later, a summons from the court was sent to my home address.

“I was so disturbed that I could not eat nor sleep. I live alone. I told my friends what happened but they thought I was joking.”

RM150,000 loss in half a month

After a while, I received another call. My Malay was poor, so the other party complained that he could not understand.

“Then he spoke to me in Cantonese. The person called me every few days and told me that I have to settle it, that I have to give my money to clear the court cases.

“The cost is RM20,000, and sometimes RM30,000. In about 10 transactions within half a month, I paid RM150,000 and my savings were gone,” Chan said.

He then contacted his nephew in Kuala Lumpur and showed him the purported court letter only to be told that it was fake.

“My nephew said the documents were all forged documents.

“My nephew then took me to see MCA public services and complaints department (PSCD) head Michael Chong for help. At that time, Chong scolded me.

“Chong said that the police will not call anyone to inform them of a crime. If they really broke the law, the police will arrest the person. I didn’t know this, as I had never encountered such a scenario.

“After two days, I went to the police station as soon as I returned to Kuantan and that person never called me anymore.”

Chan said he felt helpless and has deep regrets.

“I went back to work and became a technician in a factory for more than half a year.

“For a period of time, I was depressed. I questioned myself why I believed in these people? I never thought that such a thing would happen to me.”

Loan fraud

For another victim, the need to secure a loan from banks to safeguard his business led him to look for a fast and quick alternative.

Peter, 50, saw a loan advertisement on Facebook and decided to ask for details.

“I called the company and they gave me documents and forms that were exactly the same as the bank loan forms. So, I didn’t suspect any fraud and filled in the form along with a RM500 deposit payment.

“Soon after, I received a call that I was blacklisted by a bank and needed to pay RM3,000 to clear my name. I paid. Not too long, I received a call that the loan was approved and I needed to pay a RM3,000 fee.

“They showed me a photo of a cheque for the RM30,000 loan but was told I needed to pay a 10% commission before getting the cheque. This was because the company helped me resolve the bank documents.

“And so, I paid the commission. The process took one to two months and I gave RM12,000 in total,” Peter said.

Realising that he was cheated, Peter decided to seek help from Gerakan public services and complaints bureau chief Henry Teoh.

Teoh went to enquire about the company’s information and discovered that the company was not even registered and did not exist.

Bukit Aman CCID (cybercrimes and multimedia investigation) deputy director Victor Sanjos said online scam syndicates rely on four tricks.

“The methods are lucky draws, impersonating a police officer or a government servant, impersonating Bank Negara officers and lastly, asking for ransom money in kidnapping cases,” he said, and urged people to be more careful and aware. – November 3, 2020.