BAGAN DATUK: An accounting clerk lost RM445,050 in savings to scammers posing as a Shopee employee and a policeman.
Hilir Perak district police chief Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Adnan Basri said a report was received from the 45-year-old woman at 1.49pm yesterday.
"Initial investigations found that the victim received a phone call at her workplace in Hutan Melintang here at 11.13am on July 24.
"The call from the number (017-4572868), claiming to be from Shopee headquarters, alleged that the victim had been selling Glow Glowing skincare products on the e-commerce platform without a valid licence.
"The victim denied the allegations, and the man on the phone instructed her to lodge a police report online," he said in a statement today.
The call was then transferred to a man who introduced himself as Sergeant Badrul, who informed the victim that an arrest warrant had been issued against her for money laundering.
"Believing Sergeant Badrul's claims, the victim transferred her and her mother's entire savings to two bank accounts, resulting in a total loss of RM445,050."
The transactions were made between July 24 and Aug 7, supposedly as part of the investigation and to clear the victim's name, he said.
"Sergeant Badrul promised the victim that her money would be returned once the investigation was completed.
"After waiting for nearly two months, the victim's money was not returned and she was unable to contact Sergeant Badrul," he said.
Ahmad Adnan urged the public to avoid answering phone calls or messages from unknown individuals or phone numbers.
"Use applications like Whoscall and Truecaller to identify the callers' identities. Do not panic or become anxious when receiving a call from a scammer.
"Law enforcement agencies in Malaysia will not call to threaten you or offer an option to settle the matter outside," he said.
He added that they should verify any calls with the relevant departments or agencies before taking any action.