Elderly vegetable trader in Cameron Highlands loses nearly RM1m in phone scam

KUANTAN, April 10 — An elderly vegetable trader in Cameron Highlands lost RM958,088 after falling victim to a ‘phone scam’, tempted by a plot to inherit a fortune concocted by an online crime syndicate.

Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the 69-year-old male victim first received a call through Facebook from a suspect posing as a bank officer on March 30 last year.

He said the bogus banker offered the victim a deal that if he pretended to be the relative of an individual, who died after depositing US$26,700,000 (about RM126 million), he (the vegetable trader) would get 50 per cent of the fortune.

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“Then the suspect connected the call to a ‘lawyer’ who would handle all transactions for payments imposed on the victim, such as taxes, levy charges, anti-laundering fees and so on.

“The victim then used his savings and made 70 transactions into 26 different bank accounts from May 9, 2023 to March 11, 2024 but did not receive any payment as promised,” Yahaya said.

He advised the public to immediately check with the police or relevant agencies when receiving suspicious calls. — Bernama

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