A 62-year-old man was left reeling in more than RM46,000 in losses after a couple allegedly stole his debit card and went on a shopping spree over a course of three days, where they even bought an iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The incident was first brought to light by @paizmuhdd on Twitter, who recounted what had happened to the senior citizen.
Switched old man’s debit card
According to the police report, the old man was at a bank in Banting on Saturday (Mar 25), where he wanted to withdraw some money from his account.
In the midst of doing so, his debit card got stuck inside the machine, prompting a man behind him to offer help in getting his card back.
Unknown to the victim, the man switched his debit card with a fake card which looked rather similar to the original one and took his card.
RM46,000 spent within 3 days
The old man tried to withdraw money using the fake card but was unable to do so. When he went back to the bank on Monday (Mar 27), he was told that all of his money were gone.
Upon checking his bank transactions, the debit card was used to make 23 transactions in total, amounting to RM46,000 within a span of three days.
After filing a police report over the theft, the victim lodged another report requesting to see CCTV footage after he discovered that his card was also used to buy an iPhone 13 Pro Max at a telecommunications shop in Kapar.
In the CCTV footage, it showed a man dressed in a black t-shirt excitedly purchasing a brand new iPhone 13 Pro Max while his wife was carrying a toddler in her arms.
@paizmuhdd also explained how the suspect was able to pull the theft off:
They had damaged the ATM machine. After doing so, they stood behind the victim and pretended to be queuing up when in reality, they were actually committing the victim’s PIN number to memory.
“They will pretend to help but also produce a different card which is the same as the victim’s (which comes from previous victims) and they will give it to the unwitting victim. As for the card which is stuck in the ATM, it’s later taken away,” he said.
Duit hilang di Bank Simpanan Nasional
— Paiz (@paizmuhdd) March 28, 2023
Jumlah keseluruhan transaksi haram bernilai RM 46,000 dengan 3 hari transaksi bermula 25,26 & 27 March 2023 sebanyak 23 transaksi dan salah satunya transaksi dibuat membeli telefon Iphone 13 pro max di sebuah kedai telekomunikasi di Kapar. pic.twitter.com/9u9yhWYPcb
Police investigating
In a statement released today by Hulu Langat police, they confirmed receiving a report from the senior citizen and said they’re tracking down the suspects.
They also said that investigations have been opened under Section 4 of the Computer Crimes Act 1997, which carries a fine not more than RM25,000, a jail term not more than three years, or both if convicted.
Last week, a couple went viral for spending lavishly after stealing a man’s wallet, only to return it due to ‘public pressure’:
