Bukit Aman cautions public over fake BNM app

KUALA LUMPUR – Police have urged the public to be aware that the MyBNM app is being used by unscrupulous parties to commit fraud.

The MyBNM app was an online application offered by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) from November 2015 till November last year.

Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Zainuddin Yaacob said in a statement that victims of such cases would be contacted by suspects posing as enforcement agency officers, including from BNM.

He said the victims would then be asked to download the fake MyBNM app and through the app, they  would be asked to key in personal details including their name, ATM card number and PIN, username and password.

“After securing the information, the syndicate would then make money transfers from the victim’s account to a third party account (mule account),” he said, adding that the victim tends to only realise that they had been scammed after discovering that their accounts were emptied.

Based on records throughout 2020, he said 53 cases were reported with losses of RM1.9 million while from January to April this year, the number of cases recorded increased to 57 with losses of RM1.7 million.

“To combat the rise, preventive measures involving the police and public awareness campaigns are needed.

“CCID is committed to redoubling our efforts, especially in terms of operational investigations,” he said.

He urged the public to increase their awareness on crime prevention, including being more cautious and increasing their knowledge about such scams. 

“Do not simply believe calls claiming to be from banks, police or the Inland Revenue Board’s enforcement personnel who request you to download or register for the MyBNM app. Do not click any link, download any app with the name MyBNM or BNM logo,” he said.

Zainuddin also advised the public to make confirmation checks through CCID’s website or by downloading the semak mule CCID app before making any transactions.

In addition, the public is urged to contact CCID’s Scam Response Centre at 03-261-1559/03-26101599 if they have any information or doubts about commercial crime. – Bernama, May 11, 2021