A CONTRACTOR lost RM571,000 since mid-February after being duped by a caller the money would get him the honorific title of “Datuk Seri”.

Pahang police chief Yahaya Othman said the victim, aged 63, alleged he was contacted by the suspect who identified himself as “Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Istana Pahang” (Comptroller of the Royal Household for the Sultan of Pahang) and offered him the title.

“The suspect claimed he had a quota of six titles and if the victim was interested to get a title, he had only to make donations to programmes supposedly organised by the palace.

“The victim was interested and asked four of his friends to also obtain these titles, resulting in the suspect contacting him (victim) several times to ask for donations,” he said in a statement in Kuantan today.

Yahaya said the victim made 32 donations totalling RM571,000, through online transactions to five bank accounts provided by the suspect.

The victim claimed his money was withdrawn from his personal savings, and obtained from his friends who were also interested in getting the titles.

Yahaya said the victim became suspicious of the offer after making the transactions and proceeded to lodge a police report at the Kuantan district police headquarters yesterday.

He advised the public to check with the authorities if they receive suspicious phone calls as well as to check on the link https://semakmule.rmp. gov.my before making any transactions. – Bernama, May 26, 2023.