KUCHING: The Sarawak Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) has reported a substantial increase in scam cases this year, with 468 more cases compared to the previous year.
Outgoing Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri said from Jan 1 and Oct 31 this year, the department recorded a total of 2,575 cases, resulting in losses amounting to RM106mil.
This shows a surge of 468 cases and RM48.6mil in losses compared to last year’s figures, which stood at 2,107 cases and RM57.4mil in losses during the same period.
“The most common types of scams, causing the most victims and financial losses in the state, include e-commerce scams (503 cases with RM4mil in losses), non-existent loans (264 cases with RM2mil in losses).
“This is followed by part-time job offers (253 cases with RM8mil in losses), phone scams (226 cases with RM14.3mil in losses), and investment scams (222 cases with RM22.9mil in losses),” he told the media at the Sarawak Police Contingent Headquarters on today (Nov 9).
He added that the CCID’s relentless efforts to combat commercial crime in Sarawak have led to 815 arrests this year.
Additionally, a total of 1,005 individuals, including those from the previous year, have been charged in court, involving 952 investigation papers.
Various factors contribute to the rise in scam cases, including victims’ low self-control, the rapid advancement of Information Communication Technology (ICT), community awareness deficits, panic or anxiety, and greed.
To protect oneself against falling victim to such scams, Comm Mohd Azman recommended using the Check Scammers CCID application or visiting http://semakmule.rmp.gov.my to verify the legitimacy of a suspect’s phone number and bank account before engaging in any financial transactions.
Individuals who suspect they have fallen prey to cyber fraud, encompassing phone scams, love scams, e-commerce fraud, or non-existent loan scams, as well as those who have recently made money transfers into other persons’ bank accounts or E-Wallet, can seek assistance by calling the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997.
To stay updated on the scammers’ modus operandi, the public can follow the official CCID social media pages @jsjkpdrm and @cybercrimealertrmp on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
