HARDLY a week goes by without the mainstream media reporting news of hapless victims getting scammed out of their lives’ savings.  

These scams may involve the impersonation of authority figures from the courts to the police to LHDN, and the losses incurred breaks people down and splits families apart.  

A lot has been done in recent years to combat this: virtually all banks conduct account monitoring, run multi-factor authentication, and utilise kill switches for emergencies. But all these require an awareness that one’s account has been compromised.   

Steps to educate the public have been taken by the government and its relevant agencies like Bank Negara. Banks have done the same on online banking sites and provided brochures at branches, along with reminders via email and WhatsApp. 

Agencies that are often misrepresented in these scams, too, have put out information denying that requesting personal information, for instance, was ever part of their customer engagement practice.  

Given the alarming rate of fraud in Malaysia, and the economic situation only exacerbating it, enforcement needs to be stepped up.  

As criminals get more sophisticated, so should the various agencies involved in law enforcement – the police, MCMC, and others – create better coordination channels.

The government could even consider setting up a purpose-driven special body dedicated to combating scams and frauds.  

With the vector of such cases going beyond just automated telephony to instant messaging social media, cybersquatting, web spoofing and so on, it is becoming difficult to separate legitimate content from what carries malicious intent.    

Platforms such as Google and Facebook, too, need to play their role as many of these fake websites operate from an environment designed to look like their platforms. 

Perhaps similar to Grab, some form of physical presence should be required before these sellers are allowed on their platform, or a security deposit created from which scam victims can claim compensation in the event of fraud.   

Alternatively, the government could consider creating and maintaining an e-KYC (Electronic Know Your Customer) platform. 

Making it mandatory for these online stores to have some form of incorporation record would ensure monitoring and quality control, apart from preventing tax losses.  

Creating a mandatory funnel instead of an “opt-in” mechanism may seem cumbersome at first but the rate of losses both legally and illegally via these sites, and the lack of monitoring, more than justifies it.  

Tightening existing laws, too, is important to prevent Malaysia from being a hub for these scams or playing a supporting role in larger, more serious crimes. – October 11, 2023.  

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.