Activist calls for urgent attention to curb online scams

Source: Borneo Post Online

KUCHING (May 30): Online and telecommunication fraud poses a significant threat to national social security, requiring urgent attention because it has a severe impact especially on the nation's elderly population, said Sarawakian social activist Voon Shiak Ni.

She made the statement after discovering that the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) had revealed alarming statistics indicating that senior citizens in Malaysia had lost over RM550 million to online scams between 2021 and 2023.

She said that CCID director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf had reported these staggering losses, highlighting the severe impact on the nation's elderly population.

"During the same period, a total of 86,266 victims of online scams were recorded, with total losses amounting to RM2.7 billion.

"Common scams involve callers impersonating court officers, bank representatives, Road and Transport Department officials, postal workers, and police officers, claiming issues such as court summonses, unclaimed parcels and unclaimed money.

"These scammers can accurately provide personal details, including names and identity card numbers, making their threats seem credible.

"However, these figures likely understate the true extent of the problem, as many victims choose not to report scams to avoid the hassle of police reports and the slim chances of recovering their lost money," she pointed out in a statement yesterday.

Thus, she stressed, effective dissemination of information about scammers' modus operandi is essential as many victims fall prey to scams due to a lack of information.

Besides, informed and vigilant citizens are key to preventing online and telecommunication scams while public awareness can also mitigate fear, as scammers often use scare tactics to manipulate their targets.

While public awareness and proactive measures are crucial too, she urged the ministry responsible for cyber security to update the public on the implementation status of these systems and to empower internet users to protect themselves against scams.

"Additionally, Bank Negara and Malaysian banks must strengthen their banking security systems to safeguard customers from scammers," she said.

As another security measure, she said the national budget for 2023 allocated RM73 million to CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) to enhance cyber security, including the development of cyber forensic systems for better monitoring, detection and tracing of online scams.

She said online and telecommunication fraud can be curbed provided that preventing scammers from stealing the hard-earned money of Malaysians is a shared responsibility involving the government, relevant ministries, banks, the police force and the public.