Senior Citizen Loses Nearly RM6 Million in Phone Scam Police Urge Vigilance

SHAH ALAM, Oct 9:  A 73-year-old retiree has lost nearly RM6 million after falling victim to an elaborate phone scam, Selangor police confirmed on Thursday.

According to Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar, the senior citizen received a phone call in May from a man claiming to represent the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NFCC) in Putrajaya. The caller falsely accused her of being involved in a money-laundering case and warned that her assets would be frozen unless she cooperated.

The victim was later contacted by another individual posing as an officer who instructed her to “declare her assets” and open four new bank accounts.

“In June, she was told to deposit all her savings into these new accounts and surrender her ATM cards in an envelope, leaving it at a playground in USJ,” Shazeli said in a statement.

Trusting the scammers, the woman followed the instructions and unknowingly handed over full access to her bank accounts. The fraud only came to light when her child discovered the deception and alerted her, but by then, she had already lost RM5,996,586.51.

Datuk Shazeli urged the public to remain alert to such scams, emphasizing that authorities never conduct investigations or financial transactions over the phone.

“All official matters are handled in person at police stations or government offices. The public should never share personal information such as identity card numbers, OTPs, TAC codes, or passwords over the phone,” he said.

He also advised anyone receiving suspicious calls to verify their authenticity by contacting the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 for assistance or to lodge a report.

The case is currently being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.