Response centre must show it can tackle scams

PETALING JAYA: With digital fraud on the rise in the country and experts saying that things will only get worse, the national response to scams is becoming an increasingly hot-button issue.

Siraj Jalil, the president of the Malaysia Cyber Consumer Association, an NGO focusing on educating users on digital technology, said that he welcomed the decision to allocate RM10mil towards the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC).

“The NSRC was only formed last year and for it to receive an allocation for operation costs in this year’s budget shows the government is taking the issue of online scams seriously,” he said.

In his Budget 2023 speech, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said 25,000 scam cases were recorded in 2022 alone, racking up RM850mil in losses.

Yayasan Digital Malaysia’s head of digital innovation Mohd Fazli Azran hoped that the allocation will allow the NSRC to better serve and assist the rakyat.

“People need good responses from it, without treating them as being at fault due to carelessness or negligence.

“The NSRC must gain credibility by showing it is able to assist the public in solving cases,” he added.

Siraj said enforcing the “kill switch” feature for all banks is also the right move, though he would love to see more effort on educating the rakyat on its use.

“I think this is where the Communications and Digital Ministry along with the Information Department need to play a bigger role in helping people understand how to use the ‘kill switch’ feature.

“Victims often panic at first when something happens, and by having some awareness, they would be able to navigate through any problem with more ease,” he added.

Trust officer Janice Lee said while it is good to have these sorts of precautions in place, the issue of prevention is still up in the air.

“I feel that most of the time, people only realise they got scammed when it’s too late.

“For those who aren’t familiar or aware of the processes, this lack of knowledge and awareness can be a huge downfall, so there needs to be something that teaches the people most at risk about what to look out for and how to respond.

“Even I didn’t know about there being a scam response centre until a friend told me about it,” she added.

Mohd Fazli agreed that Malaysians themselves need to gain an understanding of frauds and scams.

“Action should not be taken by the banks alone in this effort. There needs to be more awareness generated to ensure that this does not happen in the first place,” he said.

Fong Choong Fook, CEO and founder of cybersecurity firm LGMS Bhd, agreed.

“While both the NSRC line and kill switch will help, the more important thing is to work towards making sure that people do not get scammed in the first place.

“There needs to be work towards making sure they are aware of the dangers and tactics used by criminals – along with initiatives via the formation of something like a task force that responds and regulates scam social media advertisements,” he said.

Fong added that for the most part, social media platforms do not properly screen their advertisers.