Maybank Branch Staff Saves Woman From Losing RM150,000 To Phone Scam
The victim was on a call with the scammer for over four hours.
By May Vin Ang — 05 Apr 2024, 10:59 AM
A Maybank employee in Penang recently managed to save a 57-year-old woman from losing RM150,000 to a phone scam
In a statement on Wednesday, 3 April, Maybank said the victim, a government servant named Fatimah, received a phone call from an individual claiming to be a bank representative, alleging that her account was involved in fraudulent activity.
To further deceive her, the scammer had also posed as representatives from various enforcement and regulatory agencies, including the Royal Malaysia Police and Bank Negara Malaysia.
In a call lasting over four hours, the scammer finally instructed Fatimah to withdraw RM150,000 from her savings account
However, the scam was foiled when she visited the Kampung Baru Maybank branch in Penang to withdraw the money.
"I was shaken by the whole ordeal. At the branch, the teller performed the usual check and asked me the purpose of [the] withdrawal.
"The scammer had instructed me earlier to lie and state that the money was for house renovation purposes," Fatimah was quoted as saying.
Fortunately, the assistant branch manager behind the counter became suspicious and decided to intervene.
"She guided me through the process of filing a case report with the bank, swiftly freezing my account to safeguard my hard-earned money," said Fatimah.
Maybank said its branches have saved customers from losing a total of RM6.4 million to various scams in 2023
It advised customers to be cautious of calls or messages from strangers claiming to be from the authorities, and reminded customers that banks would never request for a customer's banking details over the phone.
Customers are advised to call the National Scam Resource Centre hotline at 997 or Maybank's 24/7 Fraud hotline at +603-58914744 if they ever suspect they have fallen victim to a scam.
