In the digital age, scams and cyber threats have become all too common, leaving people vulnerable to financial losses and identity theft. 

Our editor recently had a close encounter with Facebook scammers who attempted to auto-deduct money from her bank account. Thankfully, she acted swiftly and protected herself from potential harm.

However, another shocking incident came to light where a government servant in his 40s fell victim to a devastating phone call scam, resulting in a loss of RM677,565. 

According to Assistant Commissioner, the Seberai Prai Utara District Police Chief, the unfortunate victim received a call from someone claiming to be from Pos Laju. The caller asserted that a package containing illegal goods, including 5 ATM cards from different banks, had been sent under his name.

Refusing to be fooled, the victim denied any association with the mysterious parcel and sought assistance from a police officer at the Perak State Police Contingent Headquarters. But the situation took a sinister turn when the scammer impersonating a police officer falsely implicated the victim in a drug and money laundering case.

Under duress, the victim was coerced into transferring a staggering amount of RM677,565 into six different bank accounts between June 7 and July 4. Only later did he discover the deception when he checked the 'semakmule' database, revealing that all six accounts used by the fraudsters were linked to other cheating cases.

This grave matter is now being treated as a cheating offence under Section 420 of the Penal Code, and authorities are diligently investigating the case. The police are adamant in warning the public that they never conduct investigations or demand payment transactions over the phone.