Kelantan Phone Scam Exposes the Cost of Impersonation and Delayed Reporting

Kota Bharu, 22 September 2026 – A company investment manager in Kelantan lost about RM1.2 million after a caller posing as an authority accused her of involvement in money laundering, according to the state police chief. The case is a reminder that even financially experienced people can be pushed into damaging decisions when criminals combine official-sounding allegations with urgent instructions. It also shows why the first response to a purported enforcement call should be independent verification, not a transfer or withdrawal.

Police said the woman, a single mother in her 50s, withdrew money from bank accounts and Employees Provident Fund savings. She also pawned and sold jewellery worth nearly RM500,000 while following the caller’s demands. The jewellery figure describes assets converted during the deception and should not be added to the reported RM1.2 million loss as though it were a separate loss. Clear accounting matters when investors and the public compare fraud cases.