IPOH: A 67-year-old retiree from Taiping lost more than RM100,000 after she was cheated in a phone scam.

       Perak police chief Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said the retiree lodged a report after checking her bank account on Thursday (July 13).

       “Based on our investigations, the victim received a phone call from an individual claiming to be a delivery man, telling her that he had a parcel containing her MyKad that was supposed to be delivered to a house in Perlis in early June.

       “The man said because no one was at home, he had sent the parcel to a nearby police station,” he said in a statement on Friday (July 14).

       "The victim was then connected to another man, who claimed to be a police officer," he added.

       Comm Mohd Yusri said the "officer" then alleged that the victim was involved in money laundering and drugs.

       “He then transferred her call to a third suspect claiming to have a Datuk title, who told the victim to cooperate if she did not want to be arrested.

       “The third suspect asked the victim to reveal all her bank accounts' details for investigation purposes and also told her to set up a new bank account, transferring all her savings of about RM101,887 into it.

       “After she completed the transaction, she was asked to give the details of her new bank account through an app and instructed to transfer a further RM10,900 to a separate bank account,” he said.

       Comm Mohd Yusri said the victim then checked her new bank account on Thursday and realised that several transactions were made to three accounts not known to her.

       “There were eight transfers worth RM102,950 in all made on Wednesday (July 12).

       “She tried to contact the suspects again but failed. That was when she lodged the police report,” he added.

       Comm Mohd Yusri advised members of the public to be aware of phone scam syndicates.

       “Please don’t panic when taking calls from unknown numbers with claims that they represent the authorities.

       “The police will never call anyone, threatening to arrest them. Any matters regarding government agencies will be done through the respective departments and not via phone calls," he said.

       “People also should not transfer their money to unknown bank accounts or download any mobile apps from untrusted websites or sources,” he added.