MELAKA: A total of RM4.4mil has been lost to Macau scams over the last seven months, says Melaka police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Zainol Samah.
He said that 320 cases were recorded from January to early July 2022 compared to 304 cases in 2021.
"This shows the level of public awareness about the syndicates is still low and we need to intensify our awareness campaigns to stop victims from being deceived by calls and threats made by these syndicates," said DCP Zainol.
"Victims shouldn’t avoid being swayed when receiving calls from strangers," he added after an award ceremony at the Melaka police contingent headquarters at Bukit Beruang here on Thursday (July 7).
DCP Zainol said most fraud cases involved non-existent loans and investments through online platforms.
"The Commercial Crime Department has doubled their efforts to track and nab the masterminds behind these syndicates," he said.
Separately, DCP Zainol said 536 individuals had been arrested in connection with illegal gambling activities for the first six months of this year with 476 raids conducted.
He added that electricity supplies to 62 premises suspected to host gambling activities were disconnected and 21 websites offering online bettings were shut down between Jan to June of this year.