In a heartwarming display of compassion and proactiveness in customer care, a Maybank Kampung Baru branch employee in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia recently thwarted scammers saving a customer, Fatimah, from losing RM150,000 to individuals impersonating enforcement agency officers.
To Fatimah, 57, a government contract worker, the thought of losing the money she had diligently saved for her retirement and her children’s tertiary education expenses would have been unimaginable. Her ordeal began with a phone call purportedly from her bank, alleging her involvement in unauthorised transactions and illicit mule account activities.
To further ensnare her, the caller orchestrated a series of manipulative phone calls to individuals posing as representatives from various enforcement and regulatory agencies, including the Royal Malaysia Police and Bank Negara Malaysia.
In a call lasting more than four hours, Fatimah was instructed by the scammers to withdraw RM150,000 from her savings account at the Maybank Kampung Baru branch in Penang.
“I was shaken by the whole ordeal. At the branch, the teller performed the usual check and asked me the purpose of (the) withdrawal. The scammer had instructed me earlier to lie and state that the monies were for house renovation purposes,” said Fatimah.
Fortunately, in her time of need, a beacon of support emerged in the form of Siti, the assistant branch manager of Maybank Kampung Baru. “Upon us realising that it is a scam, Siti quickly sprang into action,” Fatimah recalled with gratitude.
“She guided me through the process of filing a case report with the bank, swiftly freezing my account to safeguard my hard-earned money. Despite relentless attempts by the scammer to disrupt the proceedings with incessant calls, Siti’s calm reassurance and sound advice prevailed. I am so grateful to her for going above and beyond to help me, especially since it was beyond regular branch hours,” continued Fatimah.
To protect themselves from scams, Fatimah urges the public to always be vigilant and read up on the latest scam tactics, beware when deals are too good to be true, and seek support from their banks should they suspect they have fallen victim to a scam.
Maybank’s Financial Security Mission
Ensuring the financial security of its customers remains the Bank’s priority. Maybank places significant emphasis on the importance of scam awareness and is committed to fortifying its counterfraud measures and initiatives, to stay ahead of emerging fraud threats and uphold the trust and security of its customers.
Maybank is resolute in its mission to combat scams and safeguard customers’ financial well-being through comprehensive counterfraud education and awareness initiatives. This includes extensive training programmes to ensure its frontline employees are equipped with the necessary knowledge to recognise signs of distress in customers and identify potential scam targets, enabling them to offer real-time support and assistance.
In 2023, Maybank successfully protected customers from losing RM6.4 million to financial scams via branch channels. To defend against scams, the Bank encourages customers to be alert and observe the following practices:
- Be cautious of calls and/or messages from strangers claiming to be from the authorities, banks, utility providers and enforcement/government agencies such as the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), the Central Bank of Malaysia (BNM) or the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRBM or LHDN);
- Never reveal your banking details. Customers are reminded that banks and the authorities will not request banking details over the phone; and
- Do not transfer funds to unknown accounts. The authorities and enforcement agencies will not demand immediate fund transfers to unknown third-party accounts.
In the event customers suspect that they have been scammed, they should immediately call the National Scam Resource Centre hotline at 997 or Maybank’s 24/7 Fraud hotline at
+603 5891 4744 for assistance.
To learn how to identify the latest scam tactics, the public is encouraged to visit the Maybank Security Tips webpage at maybank.my/SecurityAwareness and the Anti-Scam National Resource Centre at www.jangankenascam.com.
Source: Maybank Malaysia (Press Release)
