KUALA LUMPUR: Two victims fell prey to phone and cryptocurrency scams, losing nearly RM6.4 million in separate cases.
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said in the first case, a 61-year-old retired lecturer from a local university received a call from an individual posing as an officer from the National Scam Response Centre, accusing her of gambling and money laundering involvement.
Despite denying the allegations, the call was transferred to a "police officer" from the Kuantan district police station.
The impostor directed her to deposit all her savings and pawned jewellery into two bank accounts for purported investigation purposes, which she obediently complied with.
She was also instructed to leave her ATM cards by the roadside for retrieval by the suspect.
She realised that she had been duped after discovering that 262 transactions totalling RM1,433,774.42 were made from her bank accounts.
In the second case, a 55-year-old accountant was tricked into making cash transfers amounting to RM5,045,800 to an e-wallet account by an individual who pretended to be a trusted online acquaintance named William.
Initially contacted via WhatsApp, William enticed him with promises of lucrative returns through cryptocurrency investments.
The victim was directed to transfer money to multiple e-wallet accounts provided by the suspect.
The suspect then instructed him to monitor the movement of funds and investment profits.
After witnessing his investment profits soar to RM7 million, the victim tried to withdraw funds but failed as his attempts were met with excuses and demands for additional fees.
He then realised that he could no longer access the investment account and reach the suspect.
Hussein advised the public to avoid entertaining phone calls from strangers.
"Those who receive calls from unknown individuals should consult their family members and seek advice from the police before blindly following instructions."
The police also reminded the public to avoid falling for advertisements of cryptocurrency investments, stocks, or any type of investment advertised on social media.
"People must invest through legitimate platforms registered with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
"They can check the BNM website to determine whether an investment company is registered.
"They can contact any police station or the hotline for inquiries if they receive suspicious online investment calls or offers."