Saturday, January 10, 2009

SMS Scam

The Star reported today that Malaysian police crippled a syndicate scamming the public via SMS in Tawau. Kudos to the police for finally catching those responsible. The syndicate, which had been operating since 2006 had reportedly cheated 115 individuals out of a total of RM1.9 mil at the time of arrest. 115 is only the number of cases that were reported. What about those that were NOT reported?

It is alarming to know that a syndicate is able to operate in Malaysia for more than 2 years before coming to an untimely end. I guess criminals really are smarter than lawmakers here. Or maybe the lawmakers are just too busy catching the wrong criminals and looking for 'coffee money'???

How the scam works - SMS are sent to random victims informing them that they have won cash prizes from Shell, Petronas, etc. The gullible and unsuspecting victims who respond to the SMS will be told to deposit an amount of money into a stipulated bank account before they can collect the prizes.
Woweeee! It's like money just fell from the sky isn't it? Please, please remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it always is!!!

1 comment:

  1. Hey I used to get the sms from Shell about winning the free RM16k too. I was so happy but the next minute when I check my name on the Shell website, I couldnt find my name and realised it was a scam. ahhhh...too bad!

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