78-year-old loses RM1.9 million in police impersonation scam

A 78-year-old man in Perak has lost RM1.9 million after being deceived by a phone scam involving a caller who falsely claimed to be a police officer. According to Perak police chief Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin, the suspect threatened the victim with the claim that he was involved in a criminal case, using intimidation tactics to coerce the elderly man into transferring his money to an unknown party.

The victim realized he had been deceived and subsequently reported the incident to the police. Police investigations revealed that the scam involved impersonation of law enforcement officers to gain the victim's trust before carrying out the fraud, and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.

Mohd Alwi emphasized that police authorities never instruct individuals to transfer money for investigation purposes, and advised the public to avoid panic and distrust calls from people claiming to be police officers, bank officials or other enforcement agency representatives. He also urged senior citizens, retirees, and their families to remain cautious against such scams, reminding them to verify any financial transactions over the phone before proceeding.