KUCHING: Almost RM1 million have been reported lost in Sarawak through phone, social media and internet scams in January alone this year, with many of the victims falling for non-existent loans.
Sarawak Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) head Supt Maria Rasid said last month, RM536,000 was lost in 38 cases to non-existent loans, RM252,000 to 24 cases of impersonation via phone calls, and RM132,000 in 10 scam phone cases.
“Although advise and reminders are frequently given by the police through social media and the newspapers, there are still members of the society who are deceived by these fraud syndicates,” she said in a press statement.
She said the victims in cases last month were between 19 and 72 years old from various walks of life.
On the modus operandi in cases of impersonation, Maria said the suspect would contact the victim by phone call or through messaging applications, while claiming to be a friend or relative of the victim.
The suspect would then spin a yarn about being robbed, or losing a bag of money or their mobile phones and that they needed help from the victim.
“Without hesitation, the victims will send money to a bank account given by the suspect. And the victim will only know he is being cheated when contacted by the friend or relative,” she said.
In phone scams, Maria said the suspects usually claim to be calling from the Inland Revenue Board, Bank Negara or some financial institution and would frighten the victim by telling them that they owed money
or were involved in a criminal case.
The victims would then be told that they could settle their debts or cases by depositing money into a bank account.
“Usually, the victims will be instructed by the syndicate to keep the matter a secret, supposedly because the victim is being watched by the police,” Maria said.
As for scams involving non-existent loans, syndicates would offer the loans online, via telephone applications or by SMS. They would ask victims to fill and online form and require them to pay a deposit, stamp duty or legal fee to expedite their loan approval.
In all such loans, Maria said the public should be wary of calls from unfamiliar numbers and be alert and suspicious of them.
“The public is reminded not to disclose banking or financial information to strangers who contact you via telephone. The public is also advised to obtain loans from licensed money lender or financial institutions.
“Contact the nearest police station if you are in doubt,” she said.
She said the public could also use the ‘Semak Mule’ phone application, which was introduced in 2019, to check bank accounts and telephone numbers used by the fraudulent syndicates.
Those who suspect that they have been cheated could also contact the Commercial Crime Investigations Department infoline via WhatsApp or SMS to 013-211 1222.
The public could also visit the official portal of the Royal Malaysian Police (rmp.gov.my), CCID (ccid.rmp.gov.my) or Sarawak CCID Facebook to get the latest information and advice on financial fraud.
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