Nowadays, everyone has access to the Internet. It is difficult to imagine a world in which we do not rely on the Internet to complete tasks like work, pay bills, search up information, shop, and a variety of others. However, if we are not vigilant, the more we rely on the Internet, the more vulnerable we are to online scams. We can only be alert and cautious because there is no way to stop all of them.
In a news report by The Star, Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Mohamed was responding to a question from Datuk Zakaria Mohd Edris, who requested information from the government on its strategies for combating commercial crime in the nation.
The minister replied online scam victims have reported losing approximately RM3 billion as a result of 89,798 registered cases from 2017 to this June. Online shopping scams came in first with 32,791 cases.
In the same time frame, he continued, there were 42,884 police arrests and 25,891 related charges.
The cases (involved) losses of RM2,971,534,364. Aside from enforcement, police have taken the initiative to educate the public on online scams through awareness campaigns.
The police also work with other agencies and NGOs so that the public gets information and is alerted to the latest modus operandi of scammers.
Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Mohamed
Why it is so hard to stop these online scams? Because of ever-advancing technologies. It is like playing a game of cat and mouse. The best we can do is learn how to protect ourselves.
