MORE CAN be done by the authorities to stamp out the growing threat of cybercrimes after parliament was told on Monday that Malaysians lost up to RM3.2 billion to online scams between 2020 and last year.
Penang Gerakan Public Complaints Bureau head Andrew Ooi Ghee Oon said that the federal and state governments should focus on upgrading their cybersecurity systems to prevent unscrupulous persons from accessing sensitive personal data.
They can also launch effective awareness campaigns which telecommunication operators (telcos) should support and advertise to their clientele, said Ooi.
He said that the authorities are taking measures to counter the rise of online fraud. However,
it is simply inadequate to check and keep abreast of new sophistications among the scammers, going by the number of incidents ripping apart the lives of Malaysians, particularly those who are elderly.
“Just sift through the victims. There are executives to teachers to doctors and even lawyers. Professionals are being swindled because the culprits have hacked into their personal data to apply the right tactics to dupe them online,” said Ooi in an interview.
They know what their victims need and profess, and they also know what is trending.
For example, it is the taxation season right now. So do not be surprised if scammers trick potential victims by posing as the internal revenue board auditors, he added.
Ooi acknowledges that this is a worldwide trend, but in the context of Malaysia, the authorities can and must do more.
Besides engaging more cyber security sleuths, Ooi said, the government must hire and contract hackers to design reliable firewalls around sensitive data such as in relation to banking, personal identification, businesses and financial transactions.
Proactive actions needed
Ooi suggested that a three-tier approach be applied to arrest the rise of online frauds.
It involves the telco operations, the security authorities, and the banks.
Firstly, Ooi wants the authorities to do away with the ease of purchasing local SIM numbers by making the registration process more stringent.
Perhaps a deposit can be required for anyone who wants to procure a local SIM card so that the days of prepaid cards are quashed.
A time limit can also be introduced to prevent the scammers from abusing the mobile numbers that they are given.
Additionally, police and the national cybersecurity authority, as well as other public sector agencies, need to safeguard their data better by investing in stronger protective software, and constantly upgrade their systems to prevent illicit hacking.
Thirdly, banks can discuss with insurers to better insure their depositors and to monitor all online transactions. They can even deploy officers to patrol ATM machines to detect suspicious customers, who are either depositing or withdrawing.
Earlier, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) M. Kulasegaran reportedly said a total of 107,716 scam cases over the period from 2020 to last year had generated losses of about RM3.2 billion.
Kulasegaran said the actions taken to counter this have included the setting up of the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) in October 2022 and the 997 helpline.
He added that there have been collaborative efforts to curb scam activities.
He said that as of January, a total of 131 phone numbers have been terminated due to fraudulent activities while 93 others were barred for suspicious activities.
Elderly people are easy targets
Ooi also wants the authorities to maintain traditional systems such as over-the-counter services to aid senior citizens who simply cannot grasp e-banking.
In Malaysia, it is usually the senior citizens who have amassed a considerable level of savings; they should be barred from excessive withdrawals or online transactions over a two-week period, unless they have valid reasons, said Ooi.
An age limit can also be imposed to prevent the fraudsters from scamming the old by imposing a limit to the level of money which can be transferred online by age.
Online shopping networks also need to be listed by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) so that consumers can check on their authenticity if they receive information about cheap promotions from them.
Ooi revealed that a former St Xavier’s Institution teacher lost some RM55,000 to scammers after he came across an advertisement in Facebook for a cleaning service in 2022.
And despite detecting that it was a likely scam early on, his bank allowed several transactions to be made to his credit cards.
Ooi said that banks can reimburse scam victims if they are insured adequately.
“Insurers are willing to help, and I can introduce the bankers to them to ensure that the online transactions are better protected,” he said. – The Vibes, March 6, 2024
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