KUALA LUMPUR – The government should aim to enable the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) to operate 24 hours a day and be equipped with advanced facilities to address the rising cases of online fraud.
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Online Harms and Information Security Committee chairman Derek Fernandez said that this proposal, however, involves costs requiring government funding, a local daily reported.
He said that the current centre operates from 8am to 8pm on weekdays due to staffing shortages and a lack of logistical and technological facilities.
“We propose a reassessment of the NSRC’s operating hours to determine its feasibility for round-the-clock operations, equipped not only to handle fraud cases but also to conduct investigations,” he said during a briefing at the #JanganKenaScam fraud workshop for media professionals in Menara Kenara TTDI here today.
“For instance, if scammers are unsuccessful, the centre should be capable of investigating and identifying culprits to thwart their operations.”
Fernandez, who is also MCMC’s Legal Committee chairman, urged for continuous evaluation, emphasising the need for constant vigilance as fraudsters operate tirelessly, always seeking new victims.
Additionally, he revealed that their proposal to the government includes increased funding to enhance NSRC operations.
The NSRC serves as a call centre for receiving reports from the public who have fallen victim to scams or unauthorised fund transfers. It acts as a collaborative space for representatives from the MCMC, the police, and banks to investigate and identify fraudulent methods.
Fernandez also advised the public to contact their respective banks at any time to block transactions on their accounts or credit cards if they become victims of scams.
Meanwhile, in 2023, a total of RM383 million in fraudulent transactions was successfully blocked by 15 banks, according to Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) Industry Taskforce chairman Datuk John Chong, who was present at the workshop.
On the subject of online scams, the Commercial Crime Investigation Department’s corporate/financial crime investigation division principal assistant director Koh Seok Keng said that in 2023, 34,536 online scams were reported, marking a 35% increase from 2022.
She cautioned against various scams, including phone scams, love scams, unlicensed money lending scams, and phishing scams.
Koh highlighted the effectiveness of preventive measures taken by banks, such as in-app secure approval and restricting registration to a single device per customer.
She emphasised the importance of reporting scams promptly, urging victims to call the NSRC hotline at 997 within 24 hours of the transaction for police intervention.
The workshop was organised by ABM and the Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia. – March 7, 2024