Malaysians suffered RM2.23 billion losses from cyber-crime frauds

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians suffered losses amounting to about RM2.23 billion from cyber-crime frauds since 2017.

According to statistics from the police, a total 67,552 cyber-crime cases were reported between 2017 till June 20 this year.

Of the total, e-commerce scams topped the chart with 23,011 cases, followed by illegal loans (21,008) and investment scams with 6,273 cases.

Crime Investigation Department (CCID) and Facebook Malaysia, in partnership with government agencies, industry players and consumer associations today launched a nationwide #TakNakScam awareness campaign.

The campaign is to educate the public on how to identify, check and report against the highly deceptive tactics employed by scammers.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Deputy Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid said that the development of eCommerce was akin to a double edged sword where frauds, scams and other cyber-crimes via digital platforms has increased in line with the success of digital businesses.

He said there were a total of 11,511 (33.2 per cent) complaints on online transactions recorded by the ministry last year, an increase compared to 5,416 (24.7 per cent) complaints received in 2019.

“The complaints have been steadily rising, and as of June 2021, it was one of the most frequent complaints received by the ministry at 45.2 per cent of total complaints.

“Both the government and private sectors must prepare to prevent an impending wave of fraud and if there are no drastic measures taken, the online scam will affect consumer confidence severely among others.

“A more holistic approach is needed to curb this issue that involves many cross agencies, and private sector collaborations,” he said when delivering his keynote address via Zoom today.

He launched the #TakNakScam campaign in the presence of Bukit Aman CCID deputy director (Cyber-crimes and Multimedia investigation) Senior Assistant Commissioner Victor Sanjos, Facebook Malaysia interim country director Justin Murugaya, Bank Negara Malaysia Penang branch chief Hasjun Hashim and Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) deputy secretary Nur Asyikin Aminuddin.

Sanjos said Malaysians must play an active part in clamping down on cyber-crimes to keep digital platforms safe at all times.

“If everyone keeps quiet and let things pass, scammers will continue to exploit our community.

“So, people should know how and where to report various financial scams as this will improve the quality of data collected by various enforcement bodies to help tackle frauds,” he said.

Via the campaign, educational videos as well as tips and tricks to identify, tackle and report fraudulent activities will be shared comprehensively on various online and offline channels of all partners of this campaign.

Within three simple steps – spot, check and report, the people can be actively involved in crippling online scams.

Those who come across any form of suspicious financial fraud may report to the CCID Scam Response Centre between 8am–8pm every day at 03-26101559 and 03-26101599. Nst

Malaysians suffered RM2.23 billion losses from cyber-crime frauds

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