Digital solution: Pos Malaysia employee Nureen Hannah showing how to use Whoscall to check verified phone numbers at the Pos Malaysia headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 8,011 phone scam cases were recorded over the past three years, with losses amounting to RM440.9mil, Bukit Aman has revealed.
Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said 448 cases involved scammers who posed as Pos Laju personnel, resulting in losses totalling RM27.1mil.
He said as of July, 1,411 phone scams involving RM64.4mil in losses had been investigated.
“Based on the statistics, it shows that we have to pay serious attention to phone and parcel scams,” Comm Ramli said at a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing yesterday between Pos Malaysia Bhd and Whoscall, an anti-scam application powered by Gogolook, as part of the #ScamFreeMalaysia initiative.
He said it was important to use technology to protect Malaysians in today’s highly volatile cyber environment.
“We are always ready to work with all parties to protect Malaysians from scams,” he added.
The MOU was signed by Gogolook chief operating officer Manwoo Joo and Pos Malaysia operations director Zaini Yahman.
Under the arrangement, Whoscall will register all operational phone numbers from Pos Malaysia, including those used by couriers and postmen, as “verified numbers”.
This will enable Whoscall users to authenticate calls and SMSes from Pos Malaysia.
The MOU also outlined an official partnership between Pos Malaysia and Whoscall to launch a Parcel Scam Awareness Campaign.
Zaini said the collaboration would allow the national post and parcel service provider to verify over 6,600 operational phone numbers used by its teams to eliminate uncertainty and build trust with customers.
“By proactively addressing the issue of parcel scams, we are not only protecting customers but also enhancing our reputation as a secure and reliable service provider,” he said in his speech.
More information on the #ScamFreeMalaysia Parcel Scam Awareness Campaign can be found on Whoscall’s Facebook and TikTok accounts.
Comm Ramli commended the collaboration and urged more courier companies to help out.
“Awareness on scam prevention is a must to prevent the public from being duped by scammers.
“We must all play our part to spread more awareness on scams,” he said.
