‘Datuk’ held in debit card scam
THE STAR
Fishy deal: Comm Abdul Ghafar showing the ‘USD note’ with one million face value, believed to be counterfeit, and a bank card seized from a hotel room in George Town during the press conference at the Penang police headquarters.
GEORGE TOWN: A woman, who introduces herself as a ‘Datuk’ and convinces her victims to buy a ‘debit card’ with RM80mil ‘credit’ at the price of RM2mil, has been detained by the police.
The woman, in her 40s, would allegedly tell her victims, who are usually rich, that the ‘debit card’ comes with a RM80mil ‘credit’ in a foreign bank account.
Penang police chief Comm Datuk Abdul Ghafar Rajab said the woman was arrested for allegedly cheating a 47-year-old building contractor.
He said the victim had lodged a police report early this month after failing to get the money he was promised.
The victim had allegedly paid RM100,000 to the woman, whom he thought was a male.
“Following the report, the police had been monitoring the woman and she was picked up at about 9.30pm on Monday at a hotel here.
“The suspect, who is from Johor but residing in Kuala Lumpur, came to Penang with the contractor, after telling him that he could collect his money in Penang,” Comm Abdul Ghafar told a press conference at the Penang police headquarters yesterday.
He added that police recovered a credit card issued by the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI), a bundle of 104 pieces of US$ notes with RM1mil face value each, business cards and a rubber stamp with ‘Datuk Dr’ title, 32 pieces of Papua New Guinea banknotes, Venezuelan Bolivar currency, four bank cheques, construction and property sale and purchases contracts, company contracts, transaction slips of banks and three mobile phones from her hotel room.
“Preliminary investigation showed that the suspect had presented herself as a ‘Datuk Dr’, and she used to show her victims proof such as US$ notes with face value of RM1mil and other foreign notes, before persuading them to buy the debit card from her.
“We believe that the banknotes were counterfeits and we will check with Bank Negara.
“She has claimed that she got the banknotes and the debit card from an Indian national,” he said.
Comm Abdul Ghafar said so far, the suspect has duped three victims, but only one had lodged a police report.
“The police believe that this is a new scam, and there might be more victims.
“I hope that the victims would come forward to help the police in investigations,” he said.
The suspect is being remanded for four days until today.
