A single mother in her 50s, working as a company investment manager in Kota Baru, lost nearly RM1.2 million after falling victim to a phone scam in July. The woman was targeted by a syndicate posing as law enforcement officials, who falsely accused her of being involved in money laundering.

According to Kelantan police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat, the scammers manipulated the caller ID to display official police numbers, lending credibility to their claims. Under the pressure of these claims, the woman followed instructions to withdraw her savings, including funds from her Employees Provident Fund (EPF), and also pawned and sold jewellery valued at approximately RM500,000.

Comm Mohd Yusoff highlighted that the woman delayed reporting the incident to authorities for about two months, during which she handed over the stolen funds to the perpetrators. Despite being aware that she was not implicated in any illegal activity, fear prevented her from informing her family or the police earlier.

The scam was noted as one of the largest individual financial losses recorded in the state of Kelantan. Police have reported detecting around 68 daily calls made using the Kelantan contingent police headquarters’ number as part of these fraudulent activities, and investigations are ongoing.

Authorities have emphasized that neither the police nor government agencies such as Bank Negara Malaysia will ever contact members of the public to instruct them to withdraw money or open new bank accounts. Members of the public are advised to immediately hang up such calls and verify any suspicious claims through official channels.

Police have also engaged Bukit Aman, the federal police headquarters, to assist in tracking down those responsible for the scam. In response to rising commercial crime rates, the Kelantan police plan to increase public awareness efforts through media campaigns to better inform citizens of common fraud tactics and preventive measures.