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Police Warn Gullible Public
By Azlan Othman

Bandar Seri Begawan - Another two locals fell victim to a notorious short message scam (SMS) despite repeated advise from the police. The latest involved a loss amounting to $400 dollars, police sources said.

The perpetrators preyed on people's gullibility by sending an SMS stating they had won a contest or lottery. When the victim gave his account number and other details, he ended up losing his money instead of winning any 'lottery' prize.

"The victims were mostly Malays regardless their age, including professionals and uniformed personnel," the Acting Head of Police Public Relations, DSP Sharazuddin told the Bulletin.

The two latest scams targeting a 33-year-old and 25 year-old local had occurred in June but was only reported to the police in early July, he said.

The victim had received an SMS congratulating him on winning a monetary prize at a of popular song contest, Kontes Dangdut Indonesia (KDI) worth $9000, a contest similar to American idol

and Akademi Fantasia and had asked the victim to call 00628*******.

The victim had later transferred $400 to the caller's bank account while planning to send another $750 later.

Upon curiosity and noticing that something was wrong, he had somehow not sent the balance.

"People are still influenced by such gullible tactics. They should not be excited by dubious sources declaring unbelievable winnings.

"When our money is transferred out of the country to a foreign registered number, it is difficult for us to investigate and arrest the culprit since it involves a syndicate under two jurisdictions," the police said.

"The bottom line is that the victim honestly believed he had won a prize. The victim only reported the case to the police after he sent the requested amount of money, making it hard to trace. The perpetrator could also make calls from a public phone making it even harder to trace," he added.

He advised the public to be wary of such scams and suggested such reminders to be forwarded through SMS just like they forwarded other messages.

In May this year, more than 35 such fraud cases were reported involving phone calls to catch victims. The conmen lured their victims first with an automated message and later direct them to part with their hard earned cash.

The automated messages claimed to be from the Supreme Court, High Court, Brunei Embassy, Police or the Attorney General's Chambers. These callers then go on to say that the victims have a pending a case in the High Court involving loan sharks. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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