Losing money to scams or account hacks can be frustrating, but it becomes even worse when it happens due to one's own carelessness.

A man claimed to have lost approximately RM30,000 when over RM60,000 in cash, placed on top of his car's boot, fell and scattered on the Kota Bharu-Kuala Terengganu road just a few days ago.

The man's mother, Che Safiah Abdullah, 63, said her son, Wan Ibrahim Wan Leh, 24 who has his own barber shop had forgotten that he had placed a bag containing cash on the car boot of his Honda Civic before leaving home to deposit the money at a bank.

"After the incident, Wan Ibrahim felt devastated and confined himself to his room, as the money was accumulated over four years from his earnings as a barber in Jertih town.

"What's more heartbreaking is that the money was intended for him to buy his own car, as the one he currently uses belongs to his sister, and he wanted to settle his debts and fulfil the pilgrimage expenses for his late biological father and stepfather," she said.

Che Safiah said her son had placed the bag with the money on the car's boot because he wanted to clean the car's interior first.

However, he forgot about the money and continued driving towards town. Wan Ibrahim realized the money had fallen off when he reached Jertih town approximately 10 minutes later, before turning back to the scene near the U-turn junction in Kampung Lak Lok.

"Upon arrival, some members of the public who assisted in collecting the scattered money on the road returned around RM30,000 to my son, but an irresponsible individual is believed to have taken the remaining cash.

"My son then went to make a police report at Kampung Raja Police Station for further action, and we hope that whoever took the remaining money will return it to our family," she said.

However, a few days since the incident occurred, someone managed to retrieve RM1,000 from the scattered money and had it returned to him. Wan Mastura Wan Leh, his sister, said the woman returned the money to one of their family members and it is believed that she intended to return it earlier, but no one was at home.

"We also did not have the chance to reward her for her efforts and honesty as she hurriedly left after returning the money. We hope more people will come forward to return the money, regardless of the amount, whether it's a large sum or a small one. At least it can help alleviate some of the losses experienced by my brother," she said when contacted.

Commenting on Wan Ibrahim's condition after the incident, Mastura said her brother is doing better and has started going to work. She also pleaded with anyone who took the money, which was the result of her brother's hard work, to return it. "If the money had not been lost, it would have been used to further expand his hairdressing business, but due to this incident, his spirit is a little shaken."

The incident was captured on a nearby shop's closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera and the family urge anyone with information about the remaining money to contact them at 013-5395538.