KUALA LUMPUR: An 80-year-old retired lecturer has lost about RM2.6mil to a Macau Scam.

       Kuala Lumpur Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) deputy chief Supt Tan Poh Cheok said the woman received a call from a scammer who posed as a Telekom Malaysia officer on Oct 1.

       "The scammer told her that a phone line under her name was being used for illegal gambling and money laundering. She was then told to make a few transfers amounting to RM730,000," she said in a statement on Friday (Nov 5).

       Supt Tan said that the victim was also told to hand over details of her ATM card,

       "She discovered there was an unauthorised transaction of RM1,877,000. After realising that she has been duped, the victim lodged a report on Tuesday (Nov 2). We are investigating under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating," she added.

       Supt Tan advised the public to be cautious and practice various ways to avoid being victims of Macau scams, including getting full details of an investigation if any officer from a department or entity called them.

       "Get the name and rank of the caller and their place of work. Call the same agency back through its official phone line. Never divulge bank account details to any third party," she said.

       Supt Tan urged those with information on any crime or suspicious activity to contact the KL police hotline at 03-2146 0584/ 0585 or any nearest police station.

       Macau Scams often start with a phone call from someone pretending to be an officer from a bank, government or law enforcement 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.