Penang Woman Warns Of Fake 'Court Officers' Using A Warrant Letter To Rob Houses
The 'officers' had all her personal details, including home and work addresses.
A netizen in Penang recently shared how she was lucky enough to save herself from falling victim to a new tactic used by robbers
On Wednesday, 8 January, Tan shared her experience of receiving a phone call claiming to be from the Penang High Court.
During the call, the person who claimed to be a "pegawai tadbir" (administrative officer) from the Penang High Court, was able to recite her full name, IC number, and both her home and office address.
Part of the ploy involves the "officer" telling you that they are at your home to deliver a letter, which supposedly allows them to repossess your items
Tan said the "officer" claimed she owed an unpaid debt of RM56,000.
When she questioned who she owed the debt to, the officers got aggressive and said, "How do I know? I am a court administrative officer. Your owe debt, you don't know? You just wait there (at your house), my team and I will go to that address now."
Tan clarified that she did not owe any debt to anyone, to which the "officer" said that it was not his problem and that he is just carrying out the order he received
"Now, with me are two other officers from the court and two policemen. You do not need to worry, the police will follow us and make sure our work is done correctly," the "officer" told her.
When Tan told them that the house and the items inside were not hers, the "officer" scolded her for wasting their time
"You don't waste my time now! If it's not your home, tell the landlord to inform the police," the "officer" said, recalled Tan.
Tan then said she will meet the "officer" at the Jelutong Police Station and that if everything is okay, she will head back home with them.
The "officer" agreed and even warned her not to run away, adding, "When I arrive and you're not there, then you should know what will happen."
However, when Tan reached the police station, she did not find anybody there waiting for her
Image via Google Maps
She tried calling back the number but it went straight to voicemail, so she waited for another 10 minutes.
When she walked back into the police station, an inspector asked her what happened, so she related the whole incident.
When she was done explaining, Tan claimed the inspector told her it was a new tactic used by robbers
Tan had also shown the inspector her call records.
"Inspectors told me that I'm lucky I didn't open the door to that guy," Tan wrote in her post.
"He said nowadays got this case [where] they ask people to open the door, and once you open the door, they will rob your house. Or they will ask for money."
"I'm lucky that at that moment I choose to go to police station and not [let] them come over."
Tan ended her post by sharing advice she received from her lawyer
"[H]e told me that they have no right to go in[to] our house without [a] warrant, and this is not under police case, this is under civil case," she wrote.
"So in case anybody come with this letter, insist on not [opening] the door, and call police if needed."
She ended her post by also cautioning other victims to not panic.
"So, please, if you receive this kind of phone call, do not panic. If they are outside your door, call police. If not, tell them to meet at police station for the letter. They will not show up."
Read Tan's full post here.
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