Company loses over RM700,000 in fake email steel supply scam

LocalBusiness & Finance
18 Mar 2026 • 2:07 PM MYT
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A COMPANY has incurred losses of more than RM700,000 after being deceived by a syndicate using fraudulent emails linked to a purported steel supply transaction.

Tangkak district police chief Superintendent Roslan Mohd Talib said a police report was lodged by a 60-year-old employee, who serves as an accounts officer, after discovering the scam involving a supply order.

According to Roslan, the company had initially received an email offering steel sales, which led to further correspondence between the employee and the suspect regarding the order.

“In this case, the female employee communicated with the suspect via email regarding the supply order arrangements,” he said in a statement.

Unaware that the email was fraudulent, the employee proceeded to make two financial transactions into accounts believed to be mule accounts.

“Without realising that the email was fake, the employee carried out two transactions into accounts suspected to be mule accounts,” he said.

The deception only came to light after the employee conducted a detailed verification with the legitimate supplier’s email and discovered that the communication had been falsified.

“The victim only realised she had been cheated after conducting a thorough check on the supplier company’s email and found that it had been forged,” Roslan added.

Police have opened an investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. Authorities have urged the public and businesses to verify the authenticity of emails and payment instructions before proceeding with transactions to avoid falling victim to similar scams. - March 18, 2026