Couple’s RM23k savings withdrawn mysteriously

IPOH: A couple was shocked to find that their fixed deposit savings, which were meant for their children’s education, were transferred out of their bank accounts without their knowledge.

Aquarium shop owner Ling Yoke Suan, 36, and her husband Yong Kui Hin, 38, claimed to have lost a total of RM23,080.

According to Ling, 17 transactions were made on Sept 9 to six other bank accounts from both of their fixed deposit accounts without their knowledge or consent.

“This happened at around 4.45am. I lost RM18,480, and my husband lost RM4,600 in just two hours,” she said at a press conference organised by Perak MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau chief Yuen Chan How yesterday.

“We only discovered the loss after receiving a call from the bank at 8.42am, informing us that both our fixed deposit accounts had been suspended due to suspicious account transactions.

“We had two fixed deposits for our children’s education in that bank,” she added.

Ling said they had never used the money for anything other than saving up for the children’s education.

Neither she nor her husband received any one-time passwords (OTP) for the transactions, and they had not clicked on any suspicious links.

She was unsure if hackers stole the money or if the bank had an internal issue.

“The bank told us that the transactions were done according to proper procedures, as a device bind took place on Sept 8.

“Both our online login IDs, passwords and security questions were verified. Due to this, the bank said they are not responsible for the losses and will not offer any compensation,” she added.

Ling and her husband have since gone to Bank Negara Malaysia and were referred to the Ombudsman for Financial Services (OFS) for further assistance.

The OFS is a non-profit organisation that functions as an alternative dispute resolution channel to resolve disputes between financial service providers who are licensed or approved by Bank Negara and financial consumers.

Meanwhile, Yuen said the police are investigating the case under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.

He urged the authorities to investigate the bank accounts to which the money was transferred in order to determine if they were opened legally or with the intention of committing fraud.