Teacher loses over RM190,000 in telephone scam ordeal in Johor

MUAR: A 54-year-old teacher lost more than RM198,000 after he was duped into thinking that he might get arrested by the police for suspected illegal activities.

Muar OCPD Asst Comm Raiz Mukhliz Azman Aziz said the teacher received a call at around 3pm on Nov 24 from an individual who claimed to be from Tenaga Nasional Bhd regarding his home electricity meter.

“The victim was told that he was suspected of tampering with his electricity meter and that an arrest warrant had been issued against him.

“The call was then ‘transferred’ to another man who claimed to be a policeman. The impostor told the victim that he was also suspected of money laundering activities,” said ACP Raiz Mukhliz in a statement on Wednesday (Dec 4).

He added that the victim was told to perform online bank transactions to prove he was not involved in such activities.

“Scared of getting arrested, the teacher made a total of 19 transactions to eight different bank accounts, amounting to RM198,550,” he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which carries a jail term of up to 10 years, caning and a fine upon conviction.

ACP Raiz Mukhliz reminded the public to be aware of such scam tactics and refrain from falling for telephone scams.

He also urged the public to use the “Semak Mule” online application and website to check bank account numbers and phone numbers before performing online transactions to avoid falling victim to accounts used by online scammers.