KUALA LUMPUR: Macau scam syndicates are now withdrawing the pilgrimage funds linked to conventional bank accounts of their victims.

       Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) had already detected 65 similar cases involving losses of nearly RM3.6mil.

       Federal CCID director Comm Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said they had warned the public of these scams and would continue to do so in an effort to prevent the public from becoming victims of fraud.

       "Based on investigations, these activities are being conducted by a Macau scam syndicate.

       "They will make calls to the victims and intimidate the victims with allegations of involvement in criminal activities and outstanding credit card debts among other tactics," he said in a statement on Thursday (April 7).

       He said the syndicate would then ask for the victim to disclose their banking information as a means to clear them of any wrongdoing.

       "We have now detected cases where the syndicates have withdrawn money from a Tabung Haji account linked to a conventional bank account belonging to the victims.

       "The convenience of internet banking facilities by Tabung Haji and other conventional banks has made this possible," he said, adding that investigations revealed the victim involved had provided banking information to an unknown individual over the phone.

       He said as a result the victim not only lost the money from their bank account but also money from the pilgrimage fund account as well.

       "So far, 65 such cases have been detected involving losses of RM3.6mil.

       "The public is reminded to never hand over banking information to individuals they do not know," he said urging those with queries to contact the CCID Scam Response Center at 03-2610 1559 or 03-2610 1599.

       The term “Macau scam” was coined because it is believed that it originated from Macau or that the first victims came from there. This has never been confirmed.

       The scam often starts with a phone call from someone pretending to be an officer from a bank, government agency or debt collector.

       The scammer will then claim that the potential victim owes money or has an unpaid fine, often with a very short window of less than an hour, to settle the payment or face “dire consequences”.

       These unsuspecting victims will then be asked to make payments to get them off the hook.