By  Kristina George

PUTRAJAYA: Funds from 60 to 70 bank accounts are allegedly being siphoned off monthly, raising fears that insiders are working hand in glove with fraudsters.

The numbers are alarming, as it was revealed that reports of "hijacked accounts" have been flooding the Public Complaints Bureau for more than two years.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Senator T. Murugiah said he was not discounting the possibility that bank staff were feeding information to the fraudsters.

"How would a syndicate know which account to target if it did not have inside help?

"It is very likely that bank workers sell classified details to the syndicate which then use the information to transfer funds into overseas accounts," he said.

"This is alarming and should not be treated lightly. If anyone has found that their bank accounts have been tampered with, they should immediately report it."

He said from the complaints the PCB had been receiving, it was evident that there were complaints against most banks.

There were recent reports of bank customers being duped into parting with their account numbers in response to text messages and emails telling them that they had won cash.

Those targeted would be told to submit their account numbers so that their winnings could be banked in.

Murugiah, however, said this could not possibly be the only way the syndicates obtained the victims' account numbers.

He said banks should be held responsible and made to compensate the defrauded for not safeguarding their funds.

He cited the example of the factory worker who lodged a complaint with the PCB claiming that some RM7,400 in his savings account had been transferred by a third party to Indonesia.

The bank in that case alleged that a syndicate sent a text message to the worker, telling him he had won a cash prize. He was told to go to an automated teller machine and follow certain instructions.

The factory worker said that he did not receive any text message nor did he register to use the bank's online facilities, and lodged a report.

Further investigations revealed that the money was sent via telegraphic transfer to an account in Indonesia.

Last week, Murugiah held a meeting between the bank officials and the factory worker, which ended with the bank promising to compensate the defrauded worker.

"The public should be aware of the various scams and not fall prey to them," said Murugiah. -The New Straits Times/Asia News Network