KL: Thousands of cheques lost in mail

KUALA LUMPUR - COMPLAINTS have surfaced that cheques sent by mail are being intercepted and tampered with, resulting in senders losing money from their current accounts to fraudsters.

So far, MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong has received five such cases involving tens of thousands of ringgit - and this is just the tip of the iceberg. More cases are expected to be revealed soon.

Authorities believe that fraudsters are 'hijacking' cheques sent through the mail and altering the instructions written on them - the payee's name, date and amount - leaving only the signature intact. The authorities do not rule out the possibility of an inside job.

Datuk Chong said the people had no idea how easy it was to lose their money this way.

He said those involved were believed to use a high-performance eraser to rub off printed or written words - from ballpoint pen ink to typewriter ribbon ink and other printed alphabets.

'After removing the details and leaving only the signature, the suspects will 'fill in the blanks,'' he said in an interview here on Monday.

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