Kuala terengganu: A female student at a local public university has suffered a loss of RM187,800 after falling victim to a sophisticated phone scam. The perpetrators, posing as representatives from Touch ‘n Go, managed to deceive the student into believing she was implicated in money laundering and drug trafficking activities.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Kuala Terengganu district police chief ACP Azli Mohd Noor revealed that the 26-year-old student received a call on August 4 from an individual who falsely accused her of misusing the Touch ‘n Go application. The caller further intimidated the victim by alleging her involvement in illegal activities and instructed her to make several bank transfers to clear her name.

In a state of panic and fear, the student complied with the instructions, making eight separate payments to six different accounts between August 4 and 9. She used her personal savings and funds taken from her parents’ account without their knowledge. The scam didn’t end there; the victim was also coerced into handing over three bracelets, five rings, and a pendant belonging to her and her mother to a female suspect at Pantai Penarik, Setiu, on August 9.

After realizing the deceit, the victim promptly reported the incident to the police at 9:43 pm the previous day. Unfortunately, she was unable to provide a detailed description of the female suspect she encountered, as the individual was concealed behind a face mask.

ACP Azli Mohd Noor urged the public to remain vigilant and advised the use of the ‘Semak Mule’ application to verify phone numbers and bank accounts when approached by suspicious parties. He also recommended contacting the National Scam Response Centre hotline at 997 for verification before proceeding with any financial transactions to third-party accounts.