KUCHING, Aug 17 — A 49-year-old man here lost RM104,310 to a phone scam last week.

Kuching police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said the victim was contacted via WhatsApp from a friend’s number, but it turned out the account had been hacked and hijacked.

“Last Thursday when the victim was in his office, he received a message from the number that belonged to his friend seeking help to make payments for the purchase of an item.

“Having trusted the message, the victim then made four transfers to three different accounts from Aug 13 to Aug 15, amounting to a total sum of RM104,310.

“On Aug 15, he was informed by his friend that the WhatsApp account was believed to have been hacked, saying he did not request the victim to make such transfers,” Alexson said in a statement.

The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.

The Section provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years, caning, and a fine upon conviction.

Alexson reminded the public to be vigilant against such scam tactics by ceasing any suspicious correspondences immediately, not providing any personal or banking information to unknown individuals, and to contact the nearest police station to conduct checks or lodge a report.

“Members of the public are advised to conduct prior checks before making payments to a third party and to check suspicious accounts and phone numbers via the Semak Mule PDRM link at https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my,” he added. — The Borneo Post