An e-hailing driver’s suspicions over an elderly passenger’s prolonged stay at a bank helped prevent her from transferring RM10,000 to an individual believed to be linked to a love scam on Thursday.
The driver, Noraini Othman, 61, said she picked up the woman from her home at about 4.30pm after being told she needed to make a money transfer.
After dropping her off at the bank, Noraini waited outside but became concerned when the woman remained inside for an unusually long time.
“I thought it was strange that she was taking so long, so I went inside to look for her,” she told Kosmo!.
Noraini said she found the woman with another individual who was attempting to assist her with the transaction. She became suspicious and contacted police at the bank.
“The woman said a handsome lawyer, who was actually a scammer, had instructed her to transfer the money,” she said.
The elderly woman reportedly told Noraini that she had met the man through WhatsApp but had never met him in person.
Noraini said the man’s profile picture showed him dressed smartly in a suit, giving the impression that he was a lawyer.
She also discovered that the woman had already withdrawn her savings from Tabung Haji before attempting to transfer the money.
Rembau district police chief Superintendent Ngiam Ooi Ming said the incident occurred at about 5.30pm when the 71-year-old woman was dropped off at a Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) branch.
“The driver suspected that the transaction was related to a love scam and contacted Rembau police station,” he said.
Following the report, the Rembau police station deputy chief and several officers rushed to the bank to investigate.
“When police arrived, the victim was attempting to transfer RM10,000 into the account in question.
“The transaction was successfully stopped, and the RM10,000 was returned to the victim’s BSN account,” Ngiam said.
