KOTA BHARU, Sept 22 — A company investment manager lost about RM1.2 million after she was duped by a scam syndicate through a phone call in Kota Bharu last July.

Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said the woman, a single mother in her 50s, received a call from an individual posing as an authority and claiming that she was involved in a money laundering case.

He said the woman, fearing the consequences, followed the suspect’s instructions, withdrawing money from her bank accounts, including her Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings, and pawning and selling jewellery worth nearly RM500,000.

“Most concerningly, the woman took about two months before lodging a police report, after all her money had been withdrawn and handed over to the perpetrators.

“She knew that she was not involved in money laundering, but because she was so frightened, she did not tell her family members or the police,” he said in a press conference after the monthly assembly at the Kelantan contingent police headquarters here today.

Mohd Yusoff said the syndicate also used application spoofing technology to make the phone number appear as though the call was from the police, including using the Kelantan IPK’s telephone number.

He said police detected about 68 calls a day using the Kelantan IPK’s number, and the matter was now under investigation.

“Neither the police nor agencies such as Bank Negara Malaysia will call members of the public and instruct them to withdraw money or open a new account.

“If you receive such a call, hang up and contact the relevant agency through its official channels to verify the matter,” he said.

He said police had also sought assistance from Bukit Aman to track down individuals believed to be involved in the scam.

He said the incident began about two months ago before a report was lodged recently and, as of this year, the case was among those involving the largest individual losses recorded in Kelantan.

Meanwhile, Mohd Yusoff said Kelantan police would intensify awareness campaigns through the media to curb commercial crime, which continued to show an increase year-on-year. — Bernama