KUALA LUMPUR: Police have opened 18 investigation papers related to cases of impersonation of National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) officers with total losses of RM1,490,582.79 million.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said as of Feb 11, the highest loss recorded was RM1,433,774.42 million.
He said victims typically receive calls from individuals identifying themselves as NSRC officers.
"These 'officers' then inform the victims that NSRC will deactivate the victim's phone number due to complaints that illegal links and scam messages had been sent from the victim's number.
"The call is then transferred to another individual impersonating a police officer. The victim is directed to follow all instructions given until it results in the victim transferring their money to a designated account," he told reporters in a press conference today.
On Feb 9, Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan reported that a 61-year-old retired lecturer from a local university fell prey to phone scam.
https://nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2024/02/1011613/ex-lecturer-account...
She received a call from an individual posing as an officer from the NSRC, accusing her of gambling and involvment in money laundering.
Ramli urged the public to exercise caution when receiving calls from individuals claiming to represent government agencies and to report any fraudulent activity promptly.
"It is reminded that NSRC is a call centre that only receives calls from the public. It is a one-way communication channel only.
"NSRC will not make calls to any individual. Therefore, any calls claiming to be from NSRC are fraudulent.
"We urged victims involved to contact NSRC at 997 to report the incident immediately. Calls should be made within 24 hours for a higher chance of blocking transferred funds."
Additionally, Ramli revealed that police have recorded 4,741 cases of commercial crime, resulting in losses of RM558,668,375.22 up to the sixth week of this year.
He highlighted a 34.3 per cent increase in cases compared to the same period last year, along with a staggering 207.6 per cent increase in loss value.
"From Jan 1 to Feb 11, a total of 2,065 investigation papers have been successfully initiated, with suspects charged. This accounts for 49 per cent of all opened investigation papers.
"This figure surpasses the corresponding number for the same period in 2023, which stood at 1,736.
"The rising trend in both case volume and loss value poses a significant challenge to our department, and necessitates intensified efforts to combat commercial crime activities."
Thus, he also called for the collective involvement of all segments of society in the fight against commercial crime.