Johor police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat said the 41-year-old woman was contacted by a person who claimed to be from the health ministry.

He said this officer claimed the victim was involved in forging a Covid-19 report in Sabah.

The victim was connected to another person claiming to be a Sabah police officer, who then accused her of also being involved in money laundering and drug activities.

“When the lecturer denied the allegations, she was instructed by the inspector to open a new bank account and submit the password as well as register the phone number given by the inspector to receive a transaction authorisation code (TAC).

“The victim transferred the money as instructed between Oct 17, 2022, and Nov 25, 2022 to supposedly ensure her savings remained safe pending investigations.”

The lecturer only realised that she had been deceived after all the money was transferred out from her bank account to several unknown accounts in early January.

Kamarul said the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.

In a separate case, he said police arrested six local men, a local woman and a foreign woman, aged between 27 and 68, believed to be members of an Ah Long syndicate in Kuala Lumpur last Wednesday.

He said investigations revealed that they received RM800 for spraying victims’ houses or vehicles with paint and setting objects on fire.

The illegal moneylending syndicate advertised on Facebook, targeting Malaysian workers in Singapore.

The eight suspects have been remanded for six days.