Miri: A man in his early 60s in Miri suffered losses amounting to more than RM253,000 after falling victim to a scam involving an individual who posed as a family member of an acquaintance to borrow money.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Miri police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah stated that the incident began around December last year. The victim was contacted via telephone number 012-9324379 by someone claiming to be a family member of the victim's acquaintance. The suspect alleged the need to borrow money due to a stalled project payment and claimed a requirement to make a payment to a bank in Singapore.

To gain the victim's trust, the suspect presented documents related to a supposed project and promised that the victim would receive a payment exceeding the borrowed amount once the project payment was secured. Misled by the deceit, the victim executed 41 money transfer transactions to four different bank accounts.

Mohd Farhan noted that the victim only realized the scam after discussing the matter with his family members, leading him to lodge a police report. The case is now under investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code.