‘Kidnapping’ of two teens turns out to be an elaborate scam

KUALA LUMPUR: What began as a so-called kidnapping of an 18-year-old teenager turned out to be an elaborate operation by scammers.

Bukit Aman CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the police received a police report on Oct 3 from a woman who claimed that her son was kidnapped, with the kidnappers demanding a RM300,000 ransom.

“We investigated the matter and managed to ‘rescue’ the victim at a homestay in Shah Alam on Oct 5.

“However, the case got more interesting as it was not actually a kidnapping but a scam,” he told a press conference in Bukit Aman on Wednesday (Oct 11).

Comm Mohd Shuhaily explained that the victim initially received a call from scammers posing as police officers last month.

“The scammers claimed that a parcel the victim ordered contained drugs and he was asked to assist with the investigation.

“They then eventually instructed the victim to transfer funds to them,” he said.

The victim ended up transferring a total of RM283,000 in several transactions from Sept 30 until Oct 3, he said.

“When he ran out of money, the scammers told him to go on the run and hide. They also told him to contact his mother, saying he was kidnapped and the ransom was RM300,000.

“His parents tried calling him again but failed. His mother subsequently lodged the report,” he said.

Comm Mohd Shuhaily said police managed to track down the victim at a homestay Shah Alam on Oct 5 and found no element of kidnapping.

“We discovered he was so scared.

“We did a detailed check on his background and discovered he has no dodgy acquaintances or friends,” he said.

Investigations led to the arrests of a 32-year-old man in Penang and a 24-year-old man in Kedah, Comm Mohd Shuhaily said.

“The first suspect is the one hired by the scammers to withdraw the money transferred by the victim and deposit it to another account.

“He acts as a middleman who was paid RM6,000 monthly. He has been working for them for about six months.

“The second suspect is a mule account holder,” he said.

Comm Mohd Shuhaily said investigations showed the scammers also profiled their potential victims.

“When the victim in this case transferred such large sums, they concluded he or his family could afford to give more.

“We believe they have certain information about the victim before duping him,” he said.

Comm Mohd Shuhaily said in July, there was a similar case involving an 18-year-old girl.

“She was told to go to Hatyai as the police were supposedly after her.

“She went there and sent a photo to her family, claiming she was kidnapped.

“In the end, police managed to rescue her but she was already conned of RM98,000 by the scammers,” he said.

Comm Mohd Shuhaily reminded the public that the police do not deal or investigate cases over the phone.

“Given the latest tactic by scammers, we hope the public will be more wary and vigilant.

“Be extra careful if you receive calls from unknown numbers,” he said.