IPOH — Police have uncovered a new phone scam tactic offering discounts on Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) bill payments, resulting in an accountant being swindled out of RM164,903.

Taiping district police chief  ACP Mohamad Nasir Ismail said on July 8, the 62-year-old man contacted an individual who offered a 35 per cent discount on his TNB bill payment, provided he could find other customers to pay their electricity bills through him.

“Trusting the offer made by the suspect, offered a 10 per cent discount to customers who opted to pay their electricity bills through him,” he said in a statement today.

Mohamad Nasir said the suspect asked the man to send photos of the electricity bills through the phone before sending fake payment receipts, making the victim believe the bills had been settled.

According to him, the victim managed to find 120 customers who agreed to make electricity bill payments through him from July 8 to Aug 27. 

Mohamad Nasir said the victim collected about RM207,000 from his customers and, after deducting the 35 per cent discount, transferred RM164,903 in 11 transactions to five accounts provided by the suspect.

He said, however, that one of the victim’s customers discovered that the electricity bill remained unpaid after checking with TNB.

The victim only realised he was duped when he was unable to contact the suspect, he said, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.

Mohamad Nasir cautioned the public against falling for non-existent TNB bill payment package offers. — BERNAMA