Kota Kinabalu police chief Kasim Muda said 35 reports had been lodged, with the latest case involving a contractor invited to submit an offer for the supply of “ecoflow power station” machines to a government department.

He said the contractor lost RM64,200 after a person posing as a government official asked the contractor to transfer the money for the purchase of the machine.

“The victim initially received a WhatsApp message offering a tender to supply cable wires, followed by a contract to supply the machine to the department in question.

“The victim agreed to the tender; to appear convincing, the suspect provided government procurement documents and a letter of acceptance,” he said, according to a Harian Metro report.

Kasim said the suspect provided a phone number of a supplier who had purportedly sold the machine to the department previously, making the transaction appear legitimate.

“Trusting the suspect, the victim ordered six machines and transferred RM64,200 to the purported supplier’s account after contacting the number given. The victim also received an invoice via WhatsApp and was assured that the machines would be delivered directly to the department,” he said.

Kasim said, however, the victim grew suspicious after receiving an additional order request from the same individual. “The victim then attempted to contact the alleged supplier again but was unable to reach, the number was blocked.

“This raised suspicion, leading the victim to believe he had been scammed, and subsequently filed a report for further action.”