Public cautioned to be vigilant
KUALA LUMPUR: A 67-year-old contractor who lost nearly RM20,000 to credit card fraud involving overseas transactions has been required to settle the full outstanding amount, despite disputing the charges.
The victim, who only wanted to be known as Hong, said four transactions were detected on his credit card in March last year, including two successful payments made to a hospital in India and two declined European transactions.
He added that the successful transactions amounted to RM19,755.32.
“I immediately contacted the bank to block my card after being alerted,” he said, adding that he also filed a dispute and lodged a police report.
Despite this, he said he was later charged for the disputed transactions, prompting him to escalate the matter through formal complaints and issue a legal letter to the bank.
He added that the bank also proposed that he bear 50% of the disputed amount, but he rejected the offer as he did not authorise the transactions.
“I also submitted a report via email to the Financial Markets Ombudsman Service (FMOS) in Dec 2025 but was then informed that I am required to settle the full outstanding amount,” he said at a press conference yesterday at the MCA headquarters here.
Hong then brought the case to the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department.
The department’s head, Datuk Seri Michael Chong, cautioned the public to be vigilant when using credit cards, especially for online transactions.
“Avoid trusting unsolicited messages and only deal with licensed banks or authorised platforms,” he said.
Chong added that the department would also write to Bank Negara and engage them for further advice and solutions.
Also present at the press conference were three other victims who experienced similar incidents.
A 65-year-old housewife, known as Tan, was charged RM17,997 after a transaction was made on her credit card at a retail outlet while she was at home in January.
She said she received a notification about a purchase at a phone shop in a mall in Kuala Lumpur, which she immediately disputed with the bank.
“Upon checking the store’s CCTV, an unknown individual had collected the three phones on behalf of a company,” she said.
“I reported the fraud to the bank within a minute as the transaction was still pending at the time of my call.
“But the bank is still insisting that I bear the charge, and I find this unreasonable as I reported it immediately upon realising the unauthorised transaction,” she said.
Meanwhile, a 30-year-old salesman, Tan, lost about RM15,800 after scammers posing as bank officials tricked him into revealing his credit card details.
He received a text claiming a purchase had been made on his credit card and was told to call a number provided.
Believing it was genuine, he shared his details, but only realised he had been scammed after RM1,000 was withdrawn from his savings account and multiple charges appeared on his other cards.
In another case, a self-employed woman, 30, lost RM7,455 after falling victim to an online scam involving a fake verification link.
Wanting to be identified only as Woon, she said the incident began after she posted an advertisement to sell sneakers on a social media platform and was contacted by a buyer.
She later received an email asking her to verify the transaction through a link, which she clicked.
She subsequently discovered that RM7,455 had been charged to her husband’s credit card via an online platform.
“I reported the matter to the bank within two hours but was advised to lodge a police report as the transaction had already gone through,” she said.
