PETALING JAYA: Giving the police powers to intervene in scams is empowering them with additional tools, says a civil society group.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) vice-president Datuk Indrani Thuraisingham also said the country has initiatives such as the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) to deal with scams.
“We need proactive intervention to supplement current measures,” she said when asked about the viability of introducing a law to empower the police to freeze bank transactions to protect scam victims.
“We should study this proposal seriously but such legislation should balance an individual’s right to privacy.
“This measure will be good to address scams, such as love scams, that are drawn out over a period of time.
“If the police detect a suspicious transaction overseas, they can intervene and help,” he said.
Cyber security specialist Fong Choong Fook said he supported the Singapore government’s move to permit the police to seize bank accounts.
“When you give the police absolute power and authority, the police may not necessarily enforce it and may not necessarily use it.
“However, when the critical time comes, at least they have the authority and can take swift action to stop scams from happening,” he said.
While the island republic is on the right track, Fong said he does not think that Malaysia needs to follow suit immediately.
“We can observe how Singapore is implementing it,” he said.
While Singapore’s proposed Bill is a good tool to curb scams, Fong said Malaysia has the NSRC in place.
“Although local police have no authority to access bank accounts, they have an existing cooperation with banks to curb and prevent scams (through the NSRC),” he said.
“It is more efficient and logical to use the NSRC as the police can work closely with the banks and give instructions regarding suspected fraudulent transactions.”
Malaysians Against Rape, Assault and Snatch Thief (Marah) founder Dave Avran said some victims refused to accept that they had been defrauded as a coping mechanism.
Even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, victims avoid facing the truth, he said.
“Admitting that they were conned not only suggests bad choices, it makes them feel humiliated and vulnerable,” he said.
Avran said scams are not just financial in character; they are also psychological and emotional in nature.
Due to the psychological connection formed between the victim and the scammer as a result of emotional manipulation, the victim will find it challenging to admit that they had been cheated, he said.
“This is common in love scam cases, where scammers prey on the victim’s emotional vulnerability,” he said.
