Scammers posing as “LHDN officers” through phone calls claiming unpaid taxes may be in possession of their target’s complete personal details, right down to a home address.
The scam could also involve more than one individual in their attempts to convince an unsuspecting target, as revealed by Twitter user @MuniraMustaffa.
In a Twitter thread, Munira said that her friend, @TheVenusDarling, had received a phone call from “LHDN”, the Malay acronym for the Inland Revenue Board, on July 25.
“She had received a phone call from ‘LHDN’ that claimed they allegedly owed over RM50,000 in back taxes through a company registered under her name, supposedly in Malacca.
“The female caller sounded official and even provided a reference number.
“The caller connected her to a so-called inspector, who instructed her to hang up and google the HQ number as ‘verification’, and he proceeded to call her from that exact same number,” said Munira.
The experience got more chilling, as the inspector proceeded to “take note” of the statement.
“After taking note of the statement, he then told her he ran a check and saw that there was a warrant out for her arrest because her ATM card was linked to fraudulent activities and money laundering.
“The inspector then passed the call to a ‘higher-ranking officer’, who proceeded to berate and threaten her if she refused to cooperate,” said Munira.
‘Arrest warrant’ complete with details
That was not the end of it, as the “higher-ranking officer” then instructed her to move to a quieter place and sent her an “arrest warrant” via WhatsApp.
“The warrant looked official, and it had everything about her, full name, IC number, home address, phone number, etc., which was all very overwhelming to deal with.
“Following this, he then instructed her to download and install an app, supposedly an official Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) app for her to assist with the ‘investigations’,” said Munira.
Luckily for Munira’s friend, she realised it was a major red flag as she was about to enter her PIN and hung up on the scammer before deleting the app.
The Twitter thread from Munira drew a lot of attention, including from Lembah Pantai MP and PKR information chief Fahmi Fadzil.
“How is it that scammers can continue with this modus operandi?” questioned Fahmi in response to Munira.
In another Tweet, Fahmi also called out BNM’s inaction in dealing with the scammers.
“Even though Bank Negara Malaysia has placed this message across its social media platforms, the message is not getting across quickly enough.
“The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission should also find a way to block the download link for this scammer app.
“And most importantly, these scammers have to be put in jail!” said Fahmi.- Mkini
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