Dewan Speaker’s WhatsApp hacked, friends scammed

 

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul has reported the scam to MCMC but urged anyone still receiving the text messages to be cautious.

KUALA LUMPUR: 

Scammers have hacked Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul’s WhatsApp account and duped some of his contacts into transferring thousands of ringgit to the perpetrators.

Johari said this began on March 25, with the scammers using his phone number and profile picture to message hundreds of his contacts.

He added that one friend of his lost as much as RM20,000.

Johari told a press conference that the scammers started their messages with a simple greeting before asking to borrow an amount of money from the contacts, with the promise of transferring the funds back to them the following day.

He said some of his contacts were suspicious of the message but others believed the request was genuine.

Johari has reported the scam to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). He urged anyone still receiving such text messages to be cautious.

“If anyone is still receiving this text, I hope they will (ignore the message) and not deposit any money.

“Those who did deposit money should lodge a police report. Take a screenshot of the payment slip and send it to us too so that we can take up the case with the police and MCMC,” he said. - FMT