KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 14,490 cases of online fraud, with losses exceeding RM581 million, were recorded from January to June 15 this year, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Legal and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran.
He said the online fraud cases involved telecommunication crimes, e-financial crimes, love scams, e-commerce crimes, and non-existent loans and investments.
“In 2022, the total number of recorded cases was 25,479, while in 2023, it increased to 34,495. The total losses amounted to more than RM851 million in 2022 and surpassed RM1 billion in 2023,“ he said during a Special Chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Vivian Wong Shir Yee (PH-Sandakan) about the increasing number of Malaysians falling victim to fraud.
Kulasegaran also reported that up until May, a total of 7,960 arrests had been made, resulting in 5,933 charges in court.
“The Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK) conducted 3,689 crime prevention programmes from January to May this year to raise community awareness,“ he added.
To combat scams more effectively, Kulasegaran said the government plans to amend some existing laws, enabling more effective prosecution of perpetrators. This effort is now in the final stages of engagement.
