File photo for illustration
KUCHING: A total of RM285,800 in losses were suffered by three individuals due to phone scams, better known as the Macau Scam in Sarawak.
State Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) chief Supt Mustafa Kamal Gani Abdullah said the department received eight reports regarding the syndicate on Tuesday, of which three individuals fell prey to the syndicate.
However, the remaining five individuals managed to avoid being deceived by the scammers.
“The three cases took place in Kuching and Sri Aman which involved a retired teacher, a civil servant and a private sector worker, carried out from Sept 25 to Oct 2,” he said in a statement today.
Mustafa said the first victim – a retired teacher was contacted by the scammer claiming to be a police officer from Kuala Terengganu. He was asked to present his bank account details and password, alleging that the bank account was involved in money laundering and drug trafficking cases.
“The victim’s saving worth RM188,000 was transferred online via several transactions,” he added.
Meanwhile, the other two victims suffered losses worth RM32,000 and more than RM15,000 after they were fooled by the same modus operandi.
Mustafa caution the public to always remain vigilant when receiving phone calls that could be of potential Macau scam.