JOHOR BARU: A retired bank manager lost RM936,000 after falling victim to a sophisticated Macau phone scam syndicate that impersonated an insurance agent, police officer and deputy public prosecutor.

A Macau scam is a phone fraud tactic in which syndicates impersonate officials such as police officers, bank officers or government agents to frighten victims into transferring money or revealing banking details under the guise of investigations or legal action.

The 60-year-old woman’s ordeal began after she received a call on April 1 from a man claiming to be an insurance agent. He told her of a fraudulent medical insurance claim allegedly made in her name at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

The “agent” then transferred the call to a man posing as a police officer, who claimed she was under investigation for money laundering and instructed her to lodge a police report online.

Johor Baru (South) police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat said the retiree was later contacted by another suspect masquerading as a deputy public prosecutor, who instructed her to open a new bank account purportedly for investigation purposes.

On April 6, the victim opened the account before transferring all her savings into it.

“She was also instructed to provide her online banking details to the suspects.

“On May 15, she discovered that all the money in the account had been withdrawn. She then lodged a police report,” He said in a statement today.

The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.

Raub reminded the public not to disclose banking information or transfer money to unknown parties, even if the instructions appear to come from enforcement agencies.

This article first appeared on NST.