With Malaysians each facing 140 scam bids a year, experts call for urgent and concerted response

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Fraud syndicates or scams, including cyber scams, are not only targeted at rural communities who may be less technologically literate - many professionals have also fallen victim.

Regardless of age, occupation, status, or place of residence, this crime continues to grow, preying on victims from all backgrounds.

Taking an example from previous local media reports, a businessperson in the capital suffered losses of nearly RM3 million after being entangled in a cryptocurrency investment scheme (that in fact did not exist) that promised returns of up to 15 per cent per month.

 Another case involved a medical doctor in Penang, who was also among the high-profile victims. The doctor received an offer for part-time work as an online sales agent, which required only placing product orders and came with the promise of lucrative commissions.

At first, the victim received small returns, but after being instructed to make additional payments to open a "premium account,” the RM180,000 in capital was not returned.

Cases like these also prove that academic or social status does not guarantee anyone freedom or protection from digital fraud.

There have even been reports of retired civil servants in Johor losing over RM200,000 after being deceived by phone calls from individuals posing as bank officers, and of an army veteran who lost nearly RM150,000 due to a Macau Scam syndicate.

These incidents clearly show that scam threats now strike indiscriminately, using increasingly complex and sophisticated tactics aligned with technological advancements.

State of Scams in Malaysia 2025 Report by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) revealed that Malaysians face an average of 140 scam attempts per person each year, with 85 per cent of adults having been exposed to such attempts.

This situation is not only alarming but can also undermine public confidence in digital security, the economy, and institutions - including the government - that are expected to protect consumers.

President of the Malaysian Cyber Consumer Association (MCCA), Siraj Jalil, said scams have now evolved into a national crisis, compared to being previously seen as isolated crimes.

"Every three days, Malaysians face a new scam attempt regardless of age or background. In fact, 21 per cent of parents admit that their children aged between seven and 17 have been duped. The family institution has now become a new ground for cybercriminals.

 "The GASA report also stated that scammers do in fact target victims among teenagers and children. They (scammers) use this group as agents within the family to obtain specific information, such as their parents’ bank card numbers.

"MCCA has received complaints involving children who were instructed by scammers to place valuable items outside their homes. Such cases usually involve threats against the children with sexual elements - for example, the child may have shared their photos with the scammer and, fearing exposure, simply obeys every instruction given by the criminal,” he told Bernama recently.

He said, according to the report, the impact of scams is not only financial - 62 per cent of victims reported emotional stress, while 47 per cent experienced effects on their mental wellbeing.

He said some families were forced into debt after facing cyber scams, while others had to take bank loans to cover their losses.

"Criminals are becoming more cunning by using personal communication platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram and WeChat, which are now the main channels to deceive victims.

"Although 74 per cent of adults believe they can identify scams, the number of victims continues to rise. This shows that scammers are adapting much faster than existing protection systems,” he said.

GASA data also shows that nearly 64 per cent of victims reported scams to payment service, but only 13 per cent managed to at least partly recover their money.

Malaysia established the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) in 2022 as a proactive step to address the surge in online fraud cases.

However, the existing major challenges demand more room for improvement through integrated strategies. Malaysia has also been encouraged to emulate the approaches of other countries that have successfully reduced the impact of such threats.

Citing Singapore as an example, Siraj said the country enacted the Online Criminal Harms Act 2023 (OCHA), which allows authorities to instruct platform providers such as WhatsApp, Telegram or Facebook to immediately remove scam-related content.

"The law also gives power to block websites and phone numbers identified as being used by scammers.

"This measure has been linked to the country’s success in reducing scam-related losses from S$660 million in 2022 to S$651 million in 2023, although the number of cases remains high,” he said.

He added that in the United Kingdom (UK), enforcement has also been strengthened through the Online Safety Act 2023, which requires digital platforms to eliminate paid scam advertisements and filter fake content.

According to him, the law gives Ofcom (the UK communications regulatory body) the authority to impose hefty penalties of up to 10 per cent of a technology company’s global revenue if it fails to protect users.

"In Australia, the establishment of the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) in 2023 coordinates information between banks, telecommunications companies and enforcement agencies. NASC operates in real time by detecting new scam trends and relaying alerts to users and financial institutions to intercept suspicious transactions.

"Meanwhile, the United States enforces laws through the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). They take legal action against technology companies found to be negligent, including imposing fines of up to millions of dollars on companies that fail to protect user data or allow fake ads to spread,” he said.

Sharing his views, Associate Professor Dr Mohd Khairie Ahmad - Dean of the School of Multimedia Technology and Communication and a researcher at the Advanced Communication Research Unit (ACRU) of Universiti Utara Malaysia - sees this issue as a major challenge in terms of Malaysians’ digital literacy.

"Today’s scams are no longer just in the form of fake emails - they appear as investment ads, job offers, and even social media accounts that look legitimate.

"Fake investments remain the most dominant form of scam. The report by GASA states that young people are not exempt, even though they are considered more tech-savvy. The ‘millennial’ group recorded the highest average loss at RM7,792 a year, far surpassing Gen Z, who lost around RM1,253.

"The report also revealed that only 14 per cent of Gen X and 12 per cent of moderately educated individuals are confident in identifying scams. Although highly educated and urban groups are more confident, they also fall victim more frequently,” he said.

According to Mohd Khairie, this paradox reflects the need for a new approach where digital literacy education must begin at the school level, supported by modules on financial literacy and scam detection.

"Institutions of higher learning should integrate digital security courses into programme syllabi, and the general public must be involved through continuous national campaigns, not just seasonal programmes.

"If people have already started practising self-verification steps before trusting offers, the next step is to teach them more effective verification strategies. For example, using number verification apps, checking company records, or referring to official databases,” he said.

Noting that the issue is much larger, he said scams today not only ensnare individual victims but can also erode public confidence in the financial system, digital technology and the government. Real-time sharing of threat data allows us to ‘stay ahead’ of criminals.

"If left unchecked, this will become a major barrier to the country’s digitalisation agenda.

"Policies alone are not enough without cross-sector collaboration. We need an ecosystem and integrated efforts between the government, telecommunications companies, digital platforms, financial institutions, and overall public awareness,” he said, adding that firm laws and enforcement must be strengthened. — Bernama

[Source: Malay Mail]