Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
The chronological events of what happened on the 13th of May 2022:
On 13 May at 09:44 a.m., I received an automated call from 016 941 5123 claiming I had a credit card transaction of RM4K+
The machine beeped over the phone saying if I wished to speak to customer service, press 0. Concerned and curious, I pressed 0 and spoke to a Chinese guy (scammer 1) named Justin Kok who claimed he was from my local bank (that will remain anonymous) at Ampang Leboh City City Central. He verified my details and the way he crafted the conversation was exactly like a usual customer agent.
He told me that I had a new credit Platinum Mastercard that I applied for at the Bandar Baru Klang branch on the 20th of April and was approved on the 25th.
There had already been 2 transactions made on the 1st of May for RM5,468 and 3rd of May for RM5,860 respectively. They were both made online to a ‘coinbase’ merchant for Bitcoin Cryptocurrency purchases. And he’s now on hold for the latest RM4,663 transaction.
After denying that I’d applied for this new credit card and made these transactions, I was told that my contact details (including home address, mobile number and email address) had been updated in the system. Except for my mobile that still remains as the secondary contact.
In order for the bank to cancel the credit card and these transactions, he needed me to make a report with Bank Negara Malaysia to prove that I was imposed by someone. He claimed that BNM will investigate and lodge a police report. Then they’ll send a confirmation letter to the said bank’s HQ.
I was then told I would be linked to an ‘automatic report’ system with BNM
I was linked to a Chinese lady called Mdm Cheok (scammer 2). The lady collected all the information from me and immediately texted me the ‘police report’ then said I’ll then need to speak with Tuan Hong who can help to investigate. She sounded very professional and authoritative throughout, even claiming the conversation was recorded. She kept making sure that I understood certain terms.
*For illustration purposes only
She gave me 2 copies of the report, with one sent to the police department in Bukit Aman, and the other to Bank Negara Malaysia. And it would take 3 working days for the investigation and another 5 days to receive the official letter by post. Only then would I be protected by PIDM insurance for the 3rd party fraud.
She even checked if I’d disclosed my credit cards to others or my ICs lately, which coincidentally I was selling my 2 houses so it was possible that my personal details could have been stolen.
She told me the black magnetic bar behind my credit cards/ATM cards is called ‘PITAR Magnetic’ which stores all my personal details, including my thumbprint, and those could also be possibly compromised.
She insisted that I seek help from Tuan Hong to reset all my PITAR magnetic details
*For illustration purposes only
I then spoke with Tuan Hong (scammer 3) an elderly Chinese male, who was wearing a police uniform in his WhatsApp photo. He told me that based on this initial check in the ‘system’, my PITAR magnetic was truly compromised and needed to be reset immediately.
He then gave me a new set of username and password to try logging into my bank app after 24 hours. And in order to do so, I had to provide my current username/password for the online banking service, which I did (In hindsight, that wasn’t a great move, but I was desperate). He then asked me to remove my device from my phone.
He also claimed that from the system, he could see there was another account name under a Chinese name (which I couldn’t recall) trying to move some money of RM300k from my account which could be money laundering. Asked me if I knew any officers from my bank. He was implying that it could be an ‘inside job’ by the bank.
I was then told to not read and delete any texts by the bank and to decline any local landlines starting with 03 as the bank may ‘disturb’ me
I was also told that 2 High Court Officers named Datin Habibah and Dato Sariman were now holding RM100k each for my PIDM insurance coverage.
Mdm Cheok (scammer 2) then called me again, and said another inspector Wong (scammer 4) will help me to further investigate the money laundering.
I then contacted Inspector Wong (scammer) via WhatsApp, which to no surprise also had a Chinese police photo in uniform as his profile picture. He spoke broken English and said he would need to accompany me to the nearest bank branch to do a ‘financial inspection’.
So I made an appointment for 1 p.m. and I would need to call him first for further instructions after parking my car.
*For illustration purposes only
After parking my car near the bank, I requested for his police ID as I started to get suspicious. He asked me to verify with the Bukit Aman police HQ and claimed he can’t be here as he was still in Jalan Kuching.
Finally, he asked me to RENTAS 3 sets of 100k to 3 other different inspectors which he would WhatsApp their bank details to me
Only then, I realised that I had been a victim of a horrible scam. I checked my SMS realizing massive transactions had been debited from my account – a total of RM200,000!
I rushed to the Puchong branch to block and freeze my bank account, I also reported a loss for all my credit cards
To date, the bank and police have yet to conclude on the lodged case. I have also lodged a complaint to Bank Negara Malaysia.
Looking back, they actually preyed on my worry and I really feel that they used my earlier expertise of having unauthorised transactions on my account to their benefit.
In an ideal world, the financial institution would give everyone extra safety measures to stop such giant transactions from occurring in such a short while.
I additionally hope that my story will assist and elevate the consciousness of such scams and forestall extra individuals from turning into victims.
For more stories like this, read: Malaysian Scammers Share Their Road To An Expensive Lifestyle and Beware: I Was Scammed Out Of RM 1,100 When Someone Pretended To Be My Boss
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