BANGI: More than half of the funds seized from scammers were returned to victims through the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) in the first seven months of the year, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The Home Minister said RM5.16mil was returned to victims of online scams between January and July, representing 65% of the RM7.94mil seized during the period.
“At the NSRC, the police work with partners to freeze and return stolen money. We recorded RM5.16mil successfully returned out of RM7.94mil that was seized.
“This means that 65% was successfully returned. Victims also hope for us to return their money to them.
“To do that, we have to stop a layer of the transaction, and that is among the things we do through the NSRC,” he said at a press conference held in conjunction with the 6th International Cyber Resilience Conference here on Wednesday (Sept 2).
Citing an estimate by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Saifuddin said scammers steal more than US$1 trillion from people every year.
He added that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that scam operations in Southeast Asia alone bring in tens of billions of dollars a year.
“Some estimates put the total global cost of cybercrime above US$10 trillion a year, bigger than the economies of Japan and Germany combined.”
He also said Malaysia recorded 66,204 cybercrime cases involving losses of RM2.97bil in 2025, compared with 35,368 cases and RM1.57bil in losses the previous year.
“Cases and losses have nearly doubled in one year. Our children are at risk. An estimated 100,000 children face online sexual exploitation or abuse every year.
“Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) rose from 68 in 2024 to 152 in 2025, with another 100 cases recorded by mid-2026.
“Criminals also exploit people across borders. As of Aug 28, 746 Malaysians had fallen victim to fake overseas job offers. Through Op Pintas Khas, police have rescued 138 victims of forced labour in 77 raids nationwide,” he said.
