Wednesday 15 March 2023

Cambodia prime minister receives scam text message from Taiwan

Taiwan Telegram user tried to con Cambodian leader into wiring money

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. (Reuters photo)

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. (Reuters photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that he received a text message on Telegram from a suspected scammer based in Taiwan on Sunday (March 12).

At 11 p.m. on Sunday, Sen announced he received a text message with a fraudulent offer one hour earlier (10 p.m.), reported The Cambodia China Times. The prime minister stated that the sender posed as a well known Cambodian businessman.

The message was composed in English and asked Sen to remit money to the "businessman." Sen directed officials to investigate the incident, and they determined that it originated from a Telegram account created by a fraudster.

Cambodia prime minister receives scam text message from Taiwan
User profile of Telegram fraudster. (Telegram screenshot)

The phone number used by the scammer was from Laos. However, the location from where the message was sent was found to be Taiwan.

Sen pointed out, "He (the fraudster) may not know that this phone number is the phone number of the (Cambodian) Prime Minister." The prime minister closed by reminding the public that fraudulent messages on Telegram are becoming more rampant, and they must remain vigilant to avoid becoming victims of fraud.

 

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