Retired teacher loses RM70,000 to ‘Macau Scam
ALOR SETAR: A 62-year-old retired teacher was cheated of RM70,000 by the Macau Scam syndicate after she got a phone call that claimed she owed the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) in tax arrears.
Kota Setar district police chief ACP Mohd Rozi Jidin said the victim, who lives in Jitra, received a phone call from a male caller on Jan 27, claiming that she owed the IRB over RM32,057 in tax arrears.
“The victim was informed that her name had been registered with a company in Ipoh, Perak. The victim then received another phone call from another man who claimed to be a policeman informing her that the company was involved in drug trafficking.
“She was then directed to transfer all of her money to another account for safety purposes to prevent her savings from being involved in illegal activities and if she refused, an arrest warrant to be issued against her and death sentence may be imposed,” he said in a statement here today.
Mohd Rozi said the worried and frightened victim then transferred the sum of RM70,000 in three transactions to three bank accounts provided by the suspect on Jan 27 and 28.
“The victim then realised something went amiss after she failed to contact the suspect after making the transactions and decided to lodge a police report at the Kota Setar district police headquarters on Jan 29 and the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code,” he said.
Bernama
