Be aware: Marzunisham (fifth from left) and Khairussaleh (on Marzunisham’s left) together with representatives of the agencies involved in the National Scam Awareness Campaign during its launch in Kuala Lumpur. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Stop, Think, Block. Or Awas, Fikir, Blok.
This is the new mantra that regulators would like the public to remember whenever they get suspicious calls or messages asking for any personal and banking details.
This call for banking customers to take a three-second pause is designed to make people stop and ponder when confronted with such calls or requests, so that they will not be lulled into taking any action that will jeopardise their well-being.
Stop, Think, Block, together with the tagline “Ingat 3 Saat Ok” (Think for Three Seconds), and the hashtag #JanganKenaScam, are part of a new logo that was unveiled by the financial sector here yesterday.
The creation of the logo by the banking industry, as represented by the Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM), the Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM) and the Association of Development Finance Institutions Malaysia (ADFIM) is its latest anti-scam messaging, given the proliferation of scamming activities through calls, messages or emails.
The unveiling of the logo at the launch of the National Scam Awareness Campaign was officiated by Bank Negara deputy governor Datuk Marzunisham Omar, ABM chairman Datuk Khairussaleh Ramli, AIBIM president Mohd Muazzam Mohamed and ADFIM vice-chairman Jay Khairil Jeremy Abdullah.
Also present were Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din, deputy director-general of the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NFCC) Kamal Baharin Omar and head of Network Security Division at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Harme Mohamed.
Marzunisham said financial scams are by no means unique to Malaysia as they have become a global issue.
“Criminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to scam victims. This trend is a concern as it keeps many of us up at night.
“For Bank Negara, our priority is to ensure that banking and payment channels remain safe and secure.
“Given that the tactics used by criminals will continue to evolve, we will, where necessary, issue new security advisories and additional security measures for banks to take from time to time,” he said, adding that the establishment of the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) is proof of its commitment to fight online financial scams by having a coordinated response from NFCC, the police, Bank Negara, MCMC, financial institutions and the telecommunications industry.
Marzunisham said the logo will be promoted during the campaign which begins next month to support the five key anti-scam measures that were implemented previously by banks on Sept 27.
Measures implemented by banks included the migration from one-time passwords to multi-factor authentication, the restriction to one mobile device per account for authentication of ebanking transactions, as well as the implementation of 24/7 dedicated scam reporting hotline such as 997 (to reach NSRC).
“The previous measures were to enforce stricter scam prevention measures in the banking system, while this campaign will educate the public on how to avoid scams altogether.
“The logo will be carried by all banks nationwide to ensure the widest possible reach,” he said.
Khairussaleh said a recent survey by Bank Negara found that at least 37% of respondents were willing to share their bank account passwords and PINs with their close friends, and this phenomenon is a major cause for concern.
