JOHOR BARU: Scammers netted a total of RM15.6 million from 423 victims in Johor last month, marking a significant rise from the RM6.9 million scammed from 273 cases in the same period last year.
Johor police chief Commissioner M. Kumar said this marked a rise of 150 cases or 55 per cent increase.
The number of losses for the same period saw a 127 per cent rise, he said.
He said from the 423 cases recorded throughout May this year, fraud cases made up the majority with 373 cases or 88 per cent.
"Online fraud accounted for 101 cases, 65 non-existent investment schemes, 45 fake loans, 36 impersonation cases, 84 phone and job scams, and 42 miscellaneous cheating cases," he said in a statement.
Kumar reminded the public to exercise caution and not to be easily swayed by attractive offers on social media and online platforms.
He urged them to always verify the offers' legitimacy via relevant agencies namely police, Bank Negara Malaysia as well as the Securities Commission Malaysia.
"The surge in the number of cases reported is an alarming trend. The public should utilise the Semak Mule online service to verify the bank accounts status and phone numbers before proceeding with any cash transactions," he added.
