KUALA LANGAT: A man is suspected to have gone on a spending spree to the tune of RM46,000 after stealing an bank card from a pensioner.
Kuala Langat district police chief Superintendent Ahmad Ridhwan Mohd Nor @ Salleh said on Saturday the suspect, in his 30s, switched the card belonging to the 62-year-old pensioner at an automated teller machine (ATM) at a bank branch in Banting.
The pensioner lodged a report on Monday, claiming that his bank card was switched and used by an unknown individual.
In the report, the pensioner said he wanted to withdraw cash from the ATM, but could not because it got stuck in the machine.
Ridhwan said the suspect, a man, managed to extract the card out of the machine but he gave another bank card to the victim.
"The victim did not suspect anything and went to another bank branch at 9.30am on the same day to make a withdrawal, but could not do so.
"The victim referred to the bank teller at the counter and upon inspection it was determined that the bank card in the victim's possession did not belong to him.
"Checks on his bank account found that the victim's actual card had been used a few times for purchases and other transactions amounting to RM46,000.
"Twenty-three transactions made," he said in a statement here today.
He said one of the transactions was for the purchase of a iPhone 13 Pro Max worth RM3,700 from a shop in Kapar, Klang.
"The victim lodged a report. Police are tracking down the male suspect, who in his early 30s.
"The case is being investigated under Section 4 of the Computer Crimes Act 1997," Ridhwan said.
Meanwhile, a screengrab of images showing a couple suspected of buying a mobile phone using the victim's bank card has gone viral.