PUTRAJAYA: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof reminded the public not to fall for misleading social media advertisements that could lead to scams.
He said in the digital age, technological progress and societal changes made it easier for scammers to exploit and manipulate people for financial gain.
"One of our challenges now is through social media, where many of our citizens are being affected by love scams and job scams.
"This is why we are receiving scam messages in perfect Malay language as these people who are duped by scammers, become scammers themselves."
As such, Fadillah called for the public to refer to established channels to ensure whether offers through social media are legitimate.
"They are trustworthy sources that can verify if something is a scam or not in the cyber realm," he said during a speech at the closing ceremony of the Federal Territory-level event for the 2023 National Anti-Scam Roadshow here today.
Also in attendance were Communications and Digital Minster Fahmi Fadzil, CyberSecurity Malaysia board of directors chairman General (Rtd) Tan Sri Datuk Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin and CyberSecurity Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Dr Amirudin Abdul Wahab.
Fadillah also shared a personal anecdote on the engagement he had in bringing back Sarawakians who were trapped abroad due to such scams.
"Striving to bring them back isn't easy, and unfortunately, some even lost their lives due to injuries abroad caused by the people involved in the scams."
He said that statistics gained from the Bukit Aman Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID) showed that online crime cases increased by 37 per cent from January to November this year compared to the same period in 2022.
"The number of cases increased from 23,608 to 32,366, with a total loss of RM1.13 billion, a 46 per cent increase from 2022.
"This indicates that financial fraud and scams pose a significant risk to our nation, where the direct impact of organised financial crime can lead to substantial financial losses."
Fadillah said that the current trends in financial fraud, phishing, malware and ransomware attacks, cyber espionage, hacktivism threats as well as data breaches and leaks pose significant challenges to the existing methods to combat such cases.
"Most financial criminals no longer operate in isolation. Instead, they have management structures and operate as an organisation.
"They infiltrate and access computer network systems without authorisation, resulting in data breaches."
As such, he said preventive measures must be implemented to tackle cybercrime more effectively and inclusively.
"Banking institutions, law enforcement agencies, and security bodies need to continue collaborating to address this issue by implementing new laws and regulations to combat financial fraud crimes.
"Cooperation at regional and international levels also need to be strengthened, particularly through strategic collaborations to facilitate information sharing and encourage investment in new technologies.
"This is essential for effectively detecting and preventing online fraud techniques," he said.
