International superstar Yuna has had a few run-ins with scammers before. With another poor soul fallen prey to a scam, the Malaysian songbird has taken to Twitter to signal boost it.
Twitter user Trina was recently scammed of 15K. She posted the story on her social media to warn others. Buckle your seat belts; this scam is an elaborate one.
Trina received a phone call from a person claiming to be from the Inland Revenue Board Of Malaysia (LHDN) stating that she had unpaid taxes. When investigating further, an operator said her IC number was tied to a company with RM38,600.90 outstanding unpaid taxes.
Upon denying the claim, the operator suggested lodging a police report in the same area the company was created; Kuantan, Pahang. When lodging the police report over the phone, she was told there was an arrest warrant out for her IC number.
The “police” were quick to accuse her of being an accomplice and gave her two choices; either be remanded or work with them. She chose the latter and agreed to give away her bank details. The “police” also warned her not to talk about the matter until it was resolved.
Understandably worried, Trina contacted a criminal lawyer to check whether she had said anything incriminating during the call. The lawyer told her it was a scam. When she checked her bank accounts, RM15,500 was lost.
“Looking back, they used a lot of psychological tactics…” Trina wrote. The scammers used kindness to bait her into thinking they could be trusted before switching to aggressive accusations. Then, they offered to help her, knowing she would take the offer after the scare tactic.
Yuna had a few suggestions to avoid such scams ever again. One was delaying the call and offering to call back. Another was stating that you have someone working there who can check if the call is legitimate. She also stated that government officials will send an official letter if it is a pressing matter.
Please spread the word! Scammers out here getting creative! https://t.co/81B6ES0yjI
— YUNA (@yunamusic) January 24, 2021
or say something like 'My father works there too, can i get your full name and your department? i have to check if you're legit.' They'll hang up. (Yes, we've gotten scam calls like this a few times.)
— YUNA (@yunamusic) January 24, 2021
We hope Trina’s case will be resolved quickly and we thank Yuna for making sure more people know what to do if it is a scam. Be aware!
Source: Trina’s Twitter
