Bachok – Malaysia has experienced a significant rise in online criminal cases, with a 23% increase recorded from January to September this year.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, The Bukit Aman Commercial CID registered a total of 19,224 online crime cases during this period, up from 15,659 cases in the same timeframe last year. Teo Nie Ching shared these statistics while giving a welcoming address at the 2023 National Anti-Scam Tour opening at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) today. The Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan Dr. Tengku Muhammad Faiz Petra Sultan Ismail Petra officiated the event, which was also attended by Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Nassuruddin Daud.
Further elaborating on the issue, Teo stated that the monetary value of these online crimes had escalated to RM687 million, marking a 29% increase compared to last year. The Cyber999 Help Centre, operated by Cyber Security Malaysia, recorded 4,898 incidents of cybersecurity from January to October this year, with online frauds constituting the majority at 3,087 incidents.
Teo emphasized the need for serious attention to online frauds as they cause significant financial losses and emotional distress. She noted that scam victims come from various segments of Malaysian society, including professionals like lecturers, engineers, doctors, and businessmen, as well as retirees and senior citizens.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has also been actively combating this issue. As of October 31, this year, MCMC removed 4,013 accounts and contents and blocked 1,764 fake websites used for phishing. Furthermore, MCMC blocked a staggering 410,590,277 unsolicited SMS messages from January to September, with an additional 19 million SMS containing hyperlinks blocked from May 2 to September 2023.
MCMC’s efforts also included the termination of 79,322 lines, both mobile and terrestrial, which were involved in sending dubious SMS messages. Additionally, 553,173,467 suspicious calls were blocked in the same period.
The 2023 National Anti-Scam Tour, which aims to raise awareness and educate the public about these issues, began on February 18 in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, with subsequent events in Perlis, Sarawak, Sabah, and is set to proceed to Johor before concluding in Putrajaya.
This increase in online criminal activity underscores the importance of heightened vigilance and proactive measures in the digital space to protect citizens against cybercrime.
