‘RM125 mil lost to online scams in Sarawak, highest nationwide’

MIRI – Scam victims in Sarawak have lost more than RM125 million to online fraud within a period of one year throughout 2022, a state minister said.

Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said she was shocked by the figure, as it is under half the total amount of money lost to scams nationwide.

The RM125 million lost to scams in Sarawak was from the end of 2021 to the end of last year, compared to the more than RM300 million lost to scams nationwide in roughly the same period, said the state’s women, childhood, and community well-being minister.

“My ministry is liaising with police, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, and Bank Negara Malaysia to organise a programme to try to deal with these scams that have gotten worse in Sarawak,” she was reported saying by Sarawak TV at a briefing for her ministry in Kuching today.

“Day after day we hear of people in Sarawak losing huge amounts of money to online bogus jobs, bogus enforcement people, bogus investments schemes, and bogus sales promotions.

Fatimah called for more community outreach and education programmes throughout the state, expressing worry at how “easily” Sarawakians seemed to be duped by scammers.

Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching said recently that Malaysians lost RM302 million to online scams on Facebook and Instagram from 2021 to June this year.

More was lost to scams on Facebook, at RM232 million, while on Instagram, the amount reported was RM70 million.

Teo also said the amounts lost to scams on Facebook had been increasing year on year.

In the last week, Sarawak police chief Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri has issued several statements on scam victims to warn the public.

Recent cases show that even professionals have fallen victim, such as a 50-year-old engineer who lost RM11,530 trying to buy tickets online for a Taylor Swift concert in Singapore next year. 

Other victims were private sector employees who worked as an executive and a manager. Most victims have been from Kuching, Sibu, and Miri. – The Vibes, July 11, 2023