KUALA LUMPUR: Banks should verify with their customers before allowing large sums of money to be transferred out of their accounts, said Lembah Pantai member of Parliament Fahmi Fadzil.
In the Dewan Rakyat today, Fahmi said this could have prevented the public from being scam victims and save them from huge losses.
"Last March, my mother fell victim to a scam. She lost RM75,000 of her savings from her Tabung Haji account.
"She lost the money in 15 minutes. Why don't banks stop such transactions? How do scammers target her?
"As an MP, if I issued a cheque for RM5,000 or RM10,000 the banks will call me (to verify). Why, then, in these cases, the banks do not (call to check)?" he asked.
He said Malaysians lost about RM660 million every year to scammers in the last five years.
Fahmi also questioned how many of the 25,891 scammers that have faced charges were the actual masterminds behind the scam syndicates.
"Do not just arrest the mules, they are just the small fish. Catch the masterminds. Or do they have connections that could evade arrests?"
In response, Deputy Home Minister I Datuk Seri Ismail Mohamed Said assured that the authorities would arrest anyone found guilty of scamming.
He said the government was collaborating with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to make amendments to several laws, including Section 116 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and Section 424 of the Penal code.
"Section 116 gives authority to the investigating officer to freeze the accounts used for criminal activities.
"Section 424 of the Penal Code allows the law to take action against account holders who allow a third party to use his account (for criminal activity)."
He advised the public to report suspicious calls and check with the Scam Response Centre by calling 03-26101599 or 03-26101559.