Bentong:A university student lost RM32,115 after being deceived by a scammer pretending to be a police officer and accusing him of being involved in money laundering.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, acting Bentong police chief DSP Azmi Mahmod reported that the 18-year-old handed over cash and jewellery worth more than RM32,000 to a woman near a supermarket in Karak, Bentong. The incident began on October 7, when the student received a call from an individual claiming to be a police officer, who threatened him with arrest unless he followed instructions. This led to the student panicking and handing over valuables belonging to his parents to resolve the alleged case.

Azmi noted that the victim was instructed to give the items to a masked woman and was warned not to inform anyone about the situation. Following an operation, police arrested a 21-year-old local woman last Saturday near the supermarket. Investigations revealed that she had been recruited by the syndicate, which claimed she was part of a 'Police Special Actions Unit', to collect the cash and jewellery and hand them over to another party involved with the syndicate. The investigation is ongoing to determine the suspect's role and identify other involved parties.

In a separate incident, Bera police chief Supt Zulkiflee Nazir stated that a retired engineer reported losing RM660,000 in a fraudulent stock investment scheme. This scam began on February 5, when the 56-year-old man was approached via WhatsApp by an unknown individual who proposed a stock investment scheme with a starting sum of RM10,000 and a promised 10% return. Believing in the offer, the victim invested a total of RM660,000 across seven transactions into three different bank accounts. He realized he had been scammed when no returns were received and he was persistently asked to deposit more money.

Both cases are currently being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.