Malaysian woman loses $113k to scammers posing as Shopee staff, police

A Malaysian woman who fell prey to a phone scam syndicate that pretended to be Shopee representatives and police officers ended up losing more than $113,000. 

The 60-year-old woman only realised the ruse when she attended court as instructed, only to find out that there was no record of her "case". 

The victim, who works as a clerk at a private company in the Penang suburb of Perai, filed a police report on Saturday (Dec 13), said Seberang Perai Tengah district police chief Helmi Aris in a statement. 

Assistant Commissioner Helmi said the scam began on March 7 this year, when the woman received a phone call at her workplace from someone claiming to be a Shopee representative. 

The scammer alleged that the victim's personal data had been used to sell counterfeit beautify products through the Shopee online marketplace and that a customer had been hospitalised as a result. 

"The call was later transferred to another suspect posing as a police officer, who claimed that the victim was also involved in money laundering activities," said Helmi. 

The woman was told to cooperate fully with the bogus police and follow all instructions given. She was also told not to tell anyone about the case as it was under early investigation, the New Straits Times reported. 

"Believing the claims, the victim was instructed to transfer all her savings into bank accounts provided by the suspects," Helmi added. 

The woman subsequently made a total of 27 transactions to nine accounts between March 7 and Oct 1, transferring a total of RM359,150 (S$113,373). 

She was also told to attend court proceedings at the Penang High Court on Dec 12, according to Helmi. 

She only realised that she had been scammed after her name was not called by the end of proceedings, and court staff found that there was no record of her case. 

According to the police, the case is currently under investigation for the offence of cheating. 

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dana.leong@asiaone.com