KUALA BERANG: Police recorded 12,110 cases of online fraud or scams nationwide in the first three months of this year, involving RM573.7mil in losses.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department acting director Datuk Rohaimi Md Isa said the number of cases from January to March had increased compared with October to December last year, which recorded 10,715 cases involving RM519.9mil in losses.
"In Terengganu, 1,251 cases of online fraud with a loss of RM35.7mil were recorded throughout 2024, compared to only 1,139 cases (RM24mil in losses) throughout 2023," he told reporters after visiting the Ajil police station here on Thursday (April 24).
Rohaimi said online fraud crimes include telecommunications crimes, e-finance crimes, 'love-scam', e-commerce crimes, non-existent loans, and non-existent investments.
He said the increase in these cases was due, among other things, to the rapid development of technology and the modern lifestyle’s focus on using online applications.
In addition, he said the rapid development of information technology and artificial intelligence (AI) was also a factor in the increase in online fraud cases.
"Criminals are now also taking advantage of technology such as fake digital identity generators, fake websites, automated chatboxes, and 'deepfake' technology to deceive victims.
"Generative AI also enables the creation of content that appears authentic and convincing, making it difficult for users to distinguish between genuine and fraudulent communications," he said.
He advised the public to take preventive measures such as not clicking on any dubious links received through short messaging systems, WhatsApp messages, Telegram applications and so on, and not sharing banking information with unknown parties. - Bernama
