Watch out for scammers in the Year of the Snake


According to cybersecurity company Sophos, the festive season is a prime period for scammers as they exploit how most people would be feeling generous at this time of the year. — Image by lifeforstock on Freepik

As Malaysians prepare to usher in the Year of the Snake, they are reminded to remain vigilant against scams during the festive period.

According to cybersecurity company Sophos, the festive season is a prime period for scammers as they seek to exploit the public’s generosity at this time of the year.

The firm highlighted statistics from the National Scam Response Centre showing that Malaysians lost RM1.34bil to online scams in 2023, adding that police remain concerned that similar scam cases will increase during the festive period despite repeated warnings to the public.

This was also echoed by Communication Minister Fahmi Fadzil in a Jan 19 report, where he said fraudsters were likely to take advantage of the festive season to target their victims, particularly the elderly.

"Please be careful. While we prepare to celebrate Chinese New Year, scammers will take advantage to deceive potential victims, especially those with money to be gifted to family," he said in a local media report.

According to Sophos, here are some common scam tactics that fraudsters will likely use during Chinese New Year.

Fake digital ang pow

Scammers commonly send out phishing messages with a fake digital red packet or ang pow link that could lead to malware and stolen data.

The company advised users to rely on secure payment platforms such as reputable banking apps or ewallets to send digital ang pow.

Users should also always hover over links to verify the URL before clicking on them, and always verify any suspicious transactions by contacting a credible digital payment platform.

Online shopping scams

Scammers will reel in buyers looking for deals on festive food and auspicious items by promoting fake deals through phishing emails, deceptive websites and messages on social media.

Buyers are advised to always visit credible websites when purchasing goods, and to double-check the URLs to ensure that they start with ‘https’ with an accompanying lock icon in the address bar. This is to ensure that the site uses strong security encryption that better protects your payment information.

Fake delivery messages

People may be fooled into clicking a phishing link on a delivery message or notification.

Instead of clicking such messages in emails or texts, the company said people should check out official delivery service apps or websites to track parcels.

Pig-butchering scam

The company said scammers will use personalised Chinese New Year greetings on social media to start a relationship with potential victims. They will eventually exploit the trust to convince them to channel funds into a fake cryptocurrency or investment scheme, similar to fattening up a pig for slaughter.

The scam has claimed many victims including a Malaysian nurse in Singapore who lost RM745,000 after meeting a man on Instagram who convinced her to invest in a platform that turned out to be fake. Users are reminded to avoid accepting friend requests from strangers.

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