RM2.23b in cybercrime fraud losses
MALAYSIANS suffered losses amounting to about RM2.23 billion from cybercrime fraud since 2017. According to statistics from police, 67,552 cybercrime cases were reported between 2017 and June 20 this year.
Of the total, e-commerce scams topped the chart with 23,011 cases, followed by illegal loans with 21,008 cases and investment scams with 6,273 cases.
To put an end to this, the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) and Facebook Malaysia, in partnership with government agencies, industry players and consumer associations, launched a nationwide #TakNakScam awareness campaign yesterday.
The campaign is to educate the public on how to identify, check and report against the highly deceptive tactics employed by scammers.
Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid said that the development of e-commerce was akin to a double-edged sword, where frauds, scams and other cybercrimes have increased in line with the success of digital businesses.
He said there were 11,511 complaints on online transactions recorded by the ministry last year, a marked increase compared with 5,416 complaints in 2019.
“The complaints have been steadily rising. Up to June, 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.
“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 yesterday.
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 Associations (Fomca) deputy secretary Nur Asyikin Aminuddin.