Sabah retiree loses over RM350,000 to scammers

KOTA KINABALU: A retiree in the Papar district here lost over RM350,000 to scammers recently.

The 62-year-old woman had received a text message on Aug 17, stating that she had made an online purchase.

She then called the phone number in the message as she had not made any such transaction.

Papar OCPD Deputy Supt Kamaruddin Ambo Sakka said the person on the line claimed to be a bank officer who said he would help her resolve the matter.

“She gave the person her bank details, including a transaction approval code (TAC) (she received from the bank),” he said.

He said the woman later found that RM352,050 of funds from her bank account had been transferred to a third party.

“She lodged a police report after that,” DSP Kamaruddin said.

He said the case was being investigated for cheating.

He reminded the public to ignore messages or calls from strangers, even if they claim to be from security or government agencies.

DSP Kamaruddin said they should immediately hang up and inform the police.