KUALA LUMPUR: Gullible Malaysians were cheated of more than RM410 million through online and phone call scams from 2018 until August this year, Parliament was told yesterday.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman said RM224.7 million was lost through 4,956 cases last year and another RM186.0 million from 3,533 cases between January and August this year.
He was responding Datuk Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh (BN-Sabak Bernam) who asked for the number of online scam cases reported and the resulting losses.
“From the amount lost in 2019, a total of RM79 million involved Macau scams alone, with 1,612 cases reported,” he said.
Mohd Aziz also urged the public to be wary when approached with offers of investment, especially if these were unusually attractive.
He pointed out that the modus operandi for cases such as love scams, fake loan scams, and the Macau scam was changing on a daily basis.
“So for preventive measures, the police have increased their efforts in raising awareness but members of the public continue to fall for such tricks. A cybercrime Facebook page and a portal called ‘semakmule” for members of the public to check the legitimacy of bank accounts have been created as part of our efforts in combating these crimes,” he said.
He added it is in the rakyat’s hands to prevent such crimes.
“It was not feasible to expect law enforcement to be able to effectively prevent such crimes by itself. The ministry’s advice is simple, do not be too gullible with such promises or offers, and refer to the police when there is an element of doubt,” he said.
