KUALA LUMPUR: Police have warned the public about a new phishing strategy in which scammers deliver presents, such as water bottles, with printed QR codes that, when scanned, allegedly allow the public to win cash vouchers.
Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said the new tactic of fraud had spread on social media where scammers distributed the gifts from house to house.
"Through viral videos, it can be seen that they distributed gifts, such as water bottles, containing printed QR codes which, when scanned, supposedly allow the public to win cash vouchers worth RM200.
"In reality, when scanned, victims are asked to enter their banking information, resulting in the loss of funds from their bank accounts," he said at a press conference.
As such, he said that this was a phishing scam attempt, and the public is advised not to scan the provided QR code.
He also said that so far, no police reports had been received regarding this modus operandi.
"However, this tactic should be disseminated to the public as information and precautionary measures," he said.
Meanwhile, Ramli warned the public that the tactic of sending scam text messages claiming to be from telecommunication companies had resurfaced.
He urged them to exercise vigilance and never exchange banking information or one-time password numbers with any unfamiliar parties.
"Recently, victims have reported receiving text messages purportedly from well-known telecommunications companies such as Maxis, Celcom, and Digi.
"The content of these text messages informs the victim that their reward points are about to expire and urges them to immediately redeem these reward points via the provided link.
"Upon clicking the link, victims are prompted to enter their online banking information, including the received OTP number. Subsequently, victims discover a reduction in funds from their bank accounts."
To safeguard against such scams, Ramli advised the public to verify suspicious messages with the relevant telecommunications company before taking any action.
