KUALA LUMPUR: Commercial crime cases including online scams and fraud recorded losses of over RM1.5 billion between Jan 1 and Aug 11 this year, an increase of 31 per cent from the same period last year.

Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said that although the number of losses increased, the number of reported cases involving such crimes decreased slightly compared to the same period last year.

“A total of 18,205 commercial crime cases were recorded as of August 11 this year, with an average of 81 cases per day, down eight per cent compared to the 19,720 cases recorded for the same period last year,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.

Meanwhile, Ramli said that although the crackdown on commercial crime in today’s technology era is the main challenge of the CCID, they have dealt with it well and are prepared for the expected increase in commercial crime cases compared to previous years.

“The matter reflected in the 10,848 investigation papers that have been brought to court so far this year.

“This (rising) trend has become a stepping stone for the police to intensify efforts to combat commercial crimes and every segment of the society also needs to play their role in combating it,” he said.