JEMPOL: Two women, one a rubber tapper and the other who runs a car towing business, lost their savings to phone scammers in separate cases in Bahau and Rompin over the past three days.
Jempol police chief Supt Hoo Chang Hook (pix) said on Saturday, a 36-year-old rubber tapper from Kampung Sungai Raya Rompin was fleeced in a non-existent loan scam when she responded to an online advertisement that offered hassle-free loans.
He said the victim contacted a man through the WhatsApp application and sought a RM5,000 loan.
Hoo said the scammer agreed to give her the loan but not before she made several payments to “process and approve” her application.
He said the woman transferred funds to separate bank accounts given by the scammer amounting to almost RM3,200.
“When the scammer sought another RM1,000 from her, the woman became suspicious and decided to call off her loan request. She tried to request for the return of her cash but the scammer was no longer reachable,“ Hoo said.
In a separate case on Tuesday, a 44-year-old woman who runs a car towing business lost about RM3,800 after phone scammers impersonating the police and taxman accused her of being a drug dealer and claimed she owed the Inland Revenue Board about RM98,000.
Hoo said the scammer demanded she pay RM5,000 as bail money and reveal her bank account username and password for the “authorities to monitor her transactions”.
He said the woman gave in and shared her banking particulars.
Hoo said later…
