KUCHING: The Public Works Department (PWD) Sarawak’s name was used by scammers who cheated a company RM 50,065 in a commercial scam.
Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau Chairman Milton Foo said the syndicate exploited the PWD Sarawak name to trick the company into supplying 13 air purifiers.
He said this is another scam using PWD Sarawak’s name to issue fraudulent purchase orders,” Foo said in a press conference today.
He said the company received a phone call from an individual identifying himself as Mr Jong, claiming to represent PWD Sarawak and requesting 13 units of a specific brand of air purifiers.
“When the company did not carry that brand, Mr Jong referred them to another supplier in Sabah and provided a contact number,” he explained.
The company then contacted the so-called Sabah supplier and made two payments: RM30,040 via interbank transfer on November 4, and RM20,025 via instant transfer on November 6. However, the air purifiers were never delivered, and all communication with the alleged suppliers, Isabel and Mr Chong, was abruptly cut off.
Foo revealed that the scammers had created fake purchase orders using official PWD Sarawak and Malaysian Government letterheads, listing a fabricated officer title, ‘Ketua Penolong Pengarah Grade W17’.
“The documents were very convincing and could easily mislead business owners,” he said, noting that the company filed a police report last Monday.
He urged the authorities to thoroughly investigate the two Sabah-based companies involved, including their bank accounts and account holders.
He urged businessmen to always verify the order before making any payment and they can contact him for help.
Foo also warned business owners to exercise caution when handling orders that claim to be from government departments or agencies.
He called to the public to report suspicious transactions to the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 within 24 hours to improve the chances of freezing the funds.
Unfortunately, he said, in this case, the money was likely routed through mule accounts, making recovery almost impossible,” he said, stating that scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with some even using artificial intelligence to produce fake videos or endorsements.
Foo noted that similar scams have recently involved supposed orders from army camps, the Ministry of Education, and private schools.
“Scammers are now targeting companies as well as individuals. Everyone must stay vigilant and verify all details before proceeding with any transaction,” he stressed.
By Connie Chieng