Cyber scams rising sharply; Scam victims face trauma of losses

Home Ministry ramps up efforts as losses hit rm1.12bil

ONLINE scams in Malaysia have caused a staggering Rm1.12bil in financial losses in just the first half of 2025 alone, says the Home Ministry.

It said that the government would begin intensifying its efforts and curb online scam losses in the country, which include strengthening the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC), in response to the growing scam cases.

The ministry said this would involve the creation of new positions involving various schemes.

“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also agreed for the NSRC to be placed under the direct supervision of the Home Ministry. It has also been decided that it will be led by the police force,” the Home Ministry said in a parliamentary written

“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also agreed for the NSRC to be placed under the direct supervision of the Home Ministry.” Home Ministry

reply to R. Yuneswaran (Phsegamat) on the amount of money lost by Malaysians due to online scams and the steps being taken to address the issue.

The ministry also said it is studying the feasibility of drafting a Cybercrime Bill as part of its efforts to combat cybercrimes in the country. It added that its Semakmule portal, which enables the public to check bank account numbers, phone numbers and companies used by scammers, currently has 265,869 bank accounts, 211,265 phone numbers, and 12,724 company names recorded.

On Aug 5, the Digital Ministry said online scam financial losses in 2024 reached a worrying Rm1.58bil, a 2.53% increase from the year prior.

It was reported earlier that to cope with an average of 500 scamrelated calls per day, the government has approved an additional 139 permanent staff for the NSRC.

In the interim, 40 Commercial Crime Investigation Department personnel have been deployed to assist operations.

Currently, the NSRC is supported by personnel from the police, Bank Negara, calling agents appointed by the central bank and bank officers.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the NSRC’S operations will be relocated to Cyberjaya by early September to allow all agencies to work under one roof.

The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my › nation › 2025/08/15 › sc...

Scam victims face trauma of losses

Scam victims face trauma of losses

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025/08/15/scam-victims-face-trauma-of-losses

M'sians whose money vanished also have sleepless nights and trust issues. PETALING JAYA: At 5am on April 1, 2023, Lawrence was jolted awake .

How low can cruel people go?

Somali who ‘helped’ to care for pet throws it into manhole

PETALING JAYA: The deliberate killing of a pet dog by two men who were caught on video throwing it into a manhole has raised the hackles of animal lovers.

Worse, the persons who killed the dog had earlier volunteered to care for the pet, claims the owner, a Jordanian student.

“I went back to Jordan on June 24. My housemate's friend, a Somali student, offered to care for my dog Kanilla for a month,” said the 19-year-old, adding that the female dog was a cross between a Pitt Bull and a Dalmatian.

On July 19, the owner was shocked when he received a message from the Somali student claiming that Kanilla had run away.

Further distress awaited the owner when he came back to Malaysia on July 26.

“My housemate showed me a video of the Somali student and another person throwing Kanilla into a manhole in Cyberjaya,'' he said.

He said he was broken-hearted over the cruelty inflicted upon Kanilla.

Cruelty comes in many forms but this is particularly very shocking. I urge the authorities to take the necessary action and to make a stand that animal abuse would not be tolerated in Malaysia. — CHRISTINE CHIN

The owner claimed that the perpetrators had used his housemate's laptop to transfer some files, including the offending video, and had forgotten to erase them after that.

He has lodged a police report at the Cyberjaya police station on July 31 with help from the Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

“Cruelty comes in many forms but this is particularly very shocking,'' said SPCA chairman Christine Chin.

“I urge the authorities to take the necessary action and to make a stand that animal abuse would not be tolerated in Malaysia.”

Stills of the video were also forwarded to canine welfare project Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) which posted the pictures on its Facebook page.

The posting garnered countless comments from enraged people from Malaysia as well as overseas,

Among those who commented was renowned bassist Andy Peterson who said: “Get the one who took the picture too.”

A Malaysian living in Canada, Juliana Vincent-Phillips, said the perpetrators should be deported, adding that “no one will miss these scums”.

MDDB rescue coordinator Irene Low said more police reports were being lodged to lend support to the SPCA's initial report.

She urged the public to obtain the sample report from the MDDB Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/MalaysianDogsDeserveBetter

The Star/Asia News Network\


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Look, man threw dog into manhole!