KUANTAN: A total of 3,864 commercial crimes involving losses of over RM137 million were recorded in Pahang from 2019 to September this year.
Pahang police chief Datuk Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said non-existent loans scams, online purchase scams and Macau scams accounted for the highest number of reported cases, adding that suspects behind these crimes would use various methods to deceive their victims.
He said in 2019, total losses reported was RM47.4 million and it rose slightly to RM47.9 million last year, while RM42.2 million losses were recorded from the start of this year till September.
âThe police have conducted 537 operations between January and September this year to combat such activities,â he said during a Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) media conference at the Pahang contingent police headquarters here today.
Ramli also said based on current trends, they expected commercial crimes, especially those online, were not temporary occurrences and would continue well beyond the Covid-19 pandemic period.
He therefore hoped that the public would be more cautious and not be easily deceived by unknown phone calls or suspicious individuals on social media as they were likely linked to scams.
âIn this current age of communication technology, there are few robbers who will threaten a victim with a blade against the neck, instead there are suspects who prey on victims without even laying their eyes on them at all. Victims too, are unlikely to know the criminal…what happens are transactions being made online,â he said.-Bernama
