KUCHING: Fraud or scam cases in Sarawak have shown a significant rising trend, Sarawak police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata says.
He said that from Jan 1 to July 30 this year, a total of 2,256 commercial crime investigation papers were opened, compared to 1,398 for the same period in 2024, which is an increase of 858 cases.
"This has also led to an increase in losses. For the same period this year, the value of losses suffered by fraud victims in Sarawak reached RM77.7mil, an increase of RM24.8mil compared to RM52.9mil for the same period in 2024.
"If this rising trend is not curbed, the total losses are expected to exceed RM100mil for this year," he said in a statement on Friday (Aug 1).
Mancha said that based on data, the majority of the fraud victims were those aged between 30 and 40.
"In terms of employment, most of the victims comprised those working in the private sector, civil servants and retirees, with the rest consisting of students and the self-employed," he said.
He added that scammers are also using slicker and smarter methods to manipulate their victims, including online selling and buying scams, non-existent investments, non-existent loans and fake job offers. - Bernama
