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SHAH ALAM - Fearing her savings might become inaccessible due to an alleged data theft, a private sector employee was devastated after losing RM35,000 to a phone scam.
This was one of many stories shared by victims of online fraud.
Maisarah (not her real name), 29, revealed that she received a call in 2022 from someone pretending to be a bank officer.
She shared that despite two years having passed since the incident, she still held onto hope that her money will be recovered.
"My savings, which I had accumulated since my university days, vanished in an instant after receiving that call. I was informed that all banks in Malaysia were experiencing disruptions due to data theft at the time.
"Because of this, the "bank officer" transferred the call to a "senior bank manager" to explain the situation further.
"At first, I didn’t believe them, but due to their persistence in trying to "protect" depositors' money, I eventually trusted them," she said.
Maisarah said after realising she had been scammed, she immediately lodged a police report and submitted it to the bank.
"I admit this happened due to my own negligence. I also understand it will be very difficult to recover the RM35,000," she added.