Bank staff told her she should have realised it was not Maybank’s number in the Google search, she said, adding that a manager told her she was not the first victim, making her feel this was more common that she thought.
“But to me, how the hell would I know (about the number)?” she said, suggesting that the average person would not memorise bank customer service numbers.
“What rubbish is this? Does it mean as members of the public, when we put money in bank we (are supposed to be) vulnerable to getting scammed?”
Overall, Mrs Wong felt disappointed at how the bank treated her. “I mean, they should be more understanding that I’ve been scammed,” she added.
When asked to comment on the incident, a Maybank spokesperson told CNA that the bank had advised Mrs Wong to make a police report, saying that the bank fully cooperates with police investigations.
“Following her report, the bank also lodged a police report and informed the Infocomm Media Development Authority regarding the blocking of the spoof phone number, as well as escalated the spoof SMS header to the anti-smishing registry.”
Smishing refers to the sending of text messages purported to be from reputable companies to get someone to reveal their personal information.
Once scammers get hold of victims’ funds, they would typically transfer the money immediately or within the next few minutes, the spokesperson said, citing the “instant” nature of such transfers.
“By the time customers make their reports…
