GEORGE TOWN: A 75-year-old retired sports trainer in Penang lost more than RM800,000 after falling victim to a phone scam syndicate posing as police officers.

Penang police chief Comm Datuk Azizee Ismail said the victim lodged a report on Wednesday (Sept 3) after realising that all his savings had been siphoned out following a series of instructions given by the scammer.

"The victim first received a call from an individual claiming to be from the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), alleging that his name had been blacklisted for involvement in spreading false information.

"The suspect later accused him of money laundering and demanded his banking details," he said in a statement.

Comm Azizee said the victim was ordered to transfer his fixed deposit into his own CIMB account before being instructed to surrender all his ATM cards and PINs, supposedly for Bank Negara Malaysia’s “investigation.”

He said the victim was told to place the cards in an envelope and leave them near the guardhouse of his residential area.

He said when the victim checked his accounts, the victim discovered that all his funds amounting to RM838,328 had been transferred into a third-party account unknown to him.

The victim then realised he had been duped and filed a police report.

Comm Azizee reminded the public to beware of suspicious phone calls, especially those requesting personal or banking details.

"Members of the public are urged not to share sensitive information with unknown callers impersonating authorities or financial institutions," he said.

He added verification can be made through the Semak Mule portal (https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my)) or at the nearest police station.

He said victims are advised to immediately contact their banks or the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 to freeze accounts and minimise losses.