The NSRC has frozen RM32.49 million in scam victims’ funds since 2022, returning RM10.9 million as Malaysia strengthens anti-scam efforts.
PETALING JAYA: A total of RM32.49 million in scam victims’ funds has been frozen since the launch of the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) in 2022, with RM10.9 million returned to victims as authorities intensify efforts against increasingly sophisticated online fraud syndicates.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution said that between 2022 and 2025, RM25.2 million in funds was frozen, of which RM7.3 million, or 29%, was returned to victims.
“Between January and May 2026, authorities froze RM7.25 million, of which RM3.57 million, or 49%, was successfully refunded.
“The increase in the percentage of recovered funds demonstrates that the NSRC’s role as the national scam response centre is becoming more effective and gaining greater public trust,” he said in a written parliamentary reply.
Saifuddin was responding to a question from Young Syefura Othman (PH-Bentong) on the effectiveness of the NSRC and cross-border cooperation in curbing increasingly sophisticated international online scam syndicates, including those using deepfake technology.
He said the police had also strengthened bilateral cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies to tackle international cyber scam syndicates, including those using deepfake technology.
“Intelligence sharing and police-to-police (P2P) cooperation have facilitated enforcement action and arrests involving cross-border scam networks.
“Malaysia has also signed relevant United Nations conventions and is currently taking steps to accede to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, which would further enhance international cooperation in cybercrime investigations, digital evidence exchange and the extradition of cybercriminals,” he added.
Saifuddin also said cooperation with international agencies, including Interpol and the FBI, as well as participation in the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ASCCE), had strengthened police officers’ capabilities in addressing emerging cyber threats, including deepfake-enabled scams.
The NSRC, which operates 24 hours a day via the 997 hotline, enables quick action to block suspicious transactions and prevent scam proceeds from being transferred out of victims’ accounts.
