Be aware, verify and don't be greedy if you do not want to be a victim of scams, says Kelantan police chief

SHAH ALAM - Greed, and lack of awareness are why many Malaysians are still falling victim to scams, said Kelantan police chief, DCP Datuk Shafien Mamat.

Speaking as one of the panellists in the Wacana Al-Quran, Jenayah Scammer: Kenapa Masih Terperangkap’ (scams: why are people still falling for it) hosted by Sinar Harian yesterday, Shafien revealed that online fraud often occurs via phone calls, email, and social media.

Focusing on Kelantan, he said such activities occur every day with some 866 cases were recorded in 2020 compared to 874 cases in 2021.

He added, 80 per cent of the reports received by his department consisted of scams or online frauds while 20 per cent consisted of other types of frauds.

“Among the approaches taken to combat the activity in Kelantan is that the officers themselves will approach the rakyat to educate them regarding the issue so that they are aware of the activity and avoid falling for their traps,” he said.

He explained that based on the statistic, the modus operandi of the scammers often consisted of six mediums which are e-commerce, unexisting loans, get-rich-quick schemes, Macau scam, part-time job offers and love scam.

“Macau scam is the most famous approach taken by the syndicate to lure the victims in which they are disguising as civil servants, personnel from some agencies and even as officers from the Health Ministry.

“They will instil fear towards the victim and this is when the victim will eventually fall for their traps,” he said.

He urged the people to take some time to check the messages that they have received and think rationally before making the decision as well as not simply clicking any link or website to dodge the possibility of being scammed

He emphasized that the public should practice the 3T approach in their everyday life to avoid being lured into the trap which are tanya (ask), teliti (Analyze) and tidak tamak (Do not be greedy).

“If you received such calls, you need to take some time to think and tell them that you will re-confirm with the police or the relevant parties,” he said.

He added that the people should not panic in the situation as it will only lead to more problems.

He also reminded the public to always save Infoline numbers from the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) that can help the people in the given situation.

“The system will inform the caller regarding the status of the suspicious caller if it has involved with any suspicious activities,” he said.

He also advised the public regarding 3P principles which are Prihatin (Concern), Pengesahan (Verification) and Peka (Aware) so that people can take appropriate measures to stop themselves from being a victim.