Dear Reader...
In Kuala Lumpur, a 43-year-old Nigerian man and his 41-year-old Malaysian wife were detained in connection with an RM3.9 million email fraud.
Comm Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din of the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) said the suspects were responsible for the scam, often known as corporate email compromise (BEC).
"On June 8, we received a report from a businessman in Dubai who had been targeted by the scammers," stated Comm Mohd Kamarudin at CCID headquarters on Tuesday, June 14.
"His company had done business with a corporation situated in the United States for the acquisition of 41,000 tonnes of cement. We believe the suspects hacked the US company's email and told the victims to send RM3.9 million to a'mule' Malaysian bank account they controlledcontrolled".
The two suspects were detained by a CCID team at Eco Majestic in Semenyih on Monday as a result of the investigation (June 13).
"We seized a Mercedes Benz, a Proton Exora, six cellphones, two laptops, jewelry, and various papers," he added, adding that the mule account had been blocked for RM1.8 million as part of the probe.
According to Comm Mohd Kamarudin, the police were also tracing the remaining cash missing.
"We believe the syndicate's mastermind is in Nigeria, and we're also looking for the syndicate's remnants in Malaysia," he continued.
He said the two suspects had been remanded in custody for four days to facilitate the investigation.
"We warn the general public, particularly those in business, to be cautious while utilizing emails in their communications. Verify that the emails they receive are from their business connections, and be aware of any changes in bank accounts used for payment. If there is a change in the bank accounts used, call the business contacts directly as an additional security measure "he stated
