Don’t Be Suckered Into A Scam

There are plenty of desperate opportunists these days who will try to get you to part with your hard-earned money. Some of these scams are quite obvious while some are more elaborate. So it is good to always make it a practice to check and double check the details independently, and not rely on the person(s) who approached you or gave you the details / contact number to ‘verify’. If it isn’t a genuine transaction, the contact number they provide you would have an accomplice on the other end to confirm the false information to you.

Meanwhile, some scams could involve very attractive discounts or deals, or even fast delivery because you are such an important customer. Such scams are normally non-sanctioned transactions and would involve personal bank accounts instead of company accounts.

For example, a recent scam was discovered by Perodua involving irresponsible parties misrepresenting the company. These bogus sales advisors had asked the potential customers to make payments to personal bank accounts. Please bear in mind that this is not a Standard Operating Procedure of Perodua or its authorised dealerships.

The company is reminding the public to not make deposits into personal bank accounts. “We have recently discovered at least two scammers, posing as Perodua sales advisors, asking customers to make booking fee or deposit payments to personal bank accounts,” said Perodua President and Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad. Dato’ Zainal emphasised that all customers should only make payments to the official company accounts or over the counter at its authorised outlets. Perodua is working with the police on this matter.

To safeguard both existing and potential Perodua customers, Perodua has a ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ guide for quick reference when purchasing a new Perodua vehicle:

DO’s

• DO contact or visit Perodua’s authorised sales or service centres to learn more about the products and services (or visit www.perodua.com.my or the official social media pages on Facebook and Instagram for current promotions).
• DO visit www.perodua.com.my for accurate and up-to-date list of its sales and service outlets nationwide and their respective contact details.
• DO contact the Perodua Customer Experience Centre at 1-800-88-6600 during office hours, or send an enquiry online (https://www.perodua.com.my/contact-us.html), if anyone claiming to be a Perodua sales or service representative is asking you to make payments into a personal bank account.

DONT’s

• DON’T react immediately to offers, whether online or in print, without confirming its details with Perodua’s authorised sales or service advisors, or the official online platforms i.e. www.perodua.com.my, or official Facebook and Instagram pages.
• DON’T give away your personal details such as bank account numbers, home address and IC number without making sure that the person you are speaking with is an authorised Perodua personnel.
• DON’T make any payments, including deposits and booking fees, into personal bank accounts. All payments must be made to company accounts only.

Also, we naturally are always on the lookout for a good bargain. Who doesn’t like saving money, right? But always remember that If It Sounds Too Good To Be True, It Is Most Probably Not True.