MOH pensioner loses RM60,000 in Macau Scam

MELAKA: A Ministry of Health (MOH) pensioner lost RM60,000 after being cheated by a Macau scam syndicate which accused him of being linked to a criminal case allegedly involving the sale of vaccines in Labuan.

Melaka Commercial CID chief Supt E Sundra Rajan said the 60-year-old male victim received a call from a male suspect on June 2 masquerading as a Labuan civil court representative.

The victim, who resides in Bukit Baru, denied the accusation but was connected to a female suspect who introduced herself as Sergeant Farah Ajis, allegedly from the Labuan district police headquarters (IPD).

"The suspect ordered the pensioner to transfer his savings to her for investigation purposes and the unsuspecting victim transferred RM60,000 to an account that she gave him.

"The victim later narrated the incident to his friends, who told him that he had been cheated. He then lodged a police report at the Melaka Tengah Police Station yesterday," he said in a statement today.

Sundra said the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and urged the public not to be easily duped by suspicious calls.

"The public is also reminded that under the system in the country a government institution does not have the right to connect a call to another government institution. The public can also upload the 'Semak Mule CCID' (Check Scammers CCID) application to check telephone numbers or bank account numbers before making any transactions," he said.

-- BERNAMA