SIBU: Sarawak Teachers’ Union (STU) raised the red flag yesterday calling on members and teachers to be alert on a credit card scam to avoid falling victims.
STU secretary-general Yong Ing Thung was commenting on the news report where more than 100 teachers from seven primary and secondary schools here lodged police reports after falling prey to the scam. Yong also urged the bank concerned to seriously look into the matter to prevent more members of the public falling for the trick.
“The teachers did the right thing in making a police report. We advise STU members and teachers to be alert so as not to fall prey to the credit card scam.
“As it is, salesmen or any unrelated individuals are strictly not allowed to do any promotion or solicit for business in the school compound. A prior consent must be sought from the education department, principal or headmaster of the school.
“It is very wrong for these individuals to enter the school without any approval,” he told The Borneo Post.
Yong was in Sibu on Saturday following a complaint from one of their headquarters’ members over the alleged scam.
Meanwhile, according to the news report, the victims were asked to give their e-account statement for salary.
The affected teachers later found their accounts had been compromised as they could no longer login to their e-account to print their salaries.
They also claimed that their online income tax accounts too had been comprised.
Yong grimaced this was most unbecoming of these so called ‘agents’, who even asked for the teachers’ e-statement and income tax accounts.
“Banks need to be more professional in any promotion, especially this particular bank. Whether the bank realise this or not, that we don’t know,” he said.
Yong cautioned that unscrupulous individuals obtaining other people’s personal information might abuse it, including applying for loans.
He recalled receiving a call for a credit card which he did not apply.
Earlier, the victims in their police report claimed that two men and a woman, purportedly bank agents from Kuala Lumpur, dangled attractive benefits to entice them to apply for the cards.