THE “kill switch” announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim when he tabled Budget 2023 can prevent victims of scams from suffering hefty losses, police said.

The “kill switch” will be introduced for customers to deactivate their bank accounts and app access should they notice they have been scammed.

Police secretary Noorsiah Mohd Saaduddin said such a system is being used in other countries, including Singapore.

“The ‘kill switch’ initiative will be introduced by Bank Negara, through which people can prevent scammers or any unauthorised party from accessing the bank accounts of victims and causing further outflow of funds.

“The kill switch is a self-service security feature that lets you protect your funds from online scams and enhances your online banking security. If you suspect you are a victim of a scam, you can use the kill switch to temporarily deactivate your bank account,” she said in a statement today.

Noorsiah said people are advised to be alert and careful when receiving link calls or telephone apps from unknown sources, and that they should not share their personal information or bank account details with anyone.

She said victims can immediately contact the bank or National Scam Response Centre at 997 if they think they have been scammed.

She urged members of the public to check whether their bank accounts and phone numbers are involved in scams via this website. – Bernama, March 1, 2023.