KUALA LUMPUR: Bank cashier Muhammad Nabil Fikri Rosdin was on duty when he received a customer's request to withdraw RM200,000 from an Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) account.
"I asked him about the purpose of the withdrawal and he said it's to pay a housing loan.
"I asked why he needed it in cash and he refused to explain, then started talking aggressively," said Muhammad Nabil Fikri, who has worked at Maybank for 17 years.
Concerned for the customer, Muhammad Nabil Fikri escalated the matter to his line manager.
"It was then we found out that the customer said he had received a call from a person claiming to be a bank officer. He was instructed to transfer his ASB savings into a 'safe account'," he added.
Muhammad Nabil Fikri said the customer was later informed that no such bank officer existed.
"He had been talking to a scammer pretending to be someone from the bank. Later he thanked my manager via text for helping to secure his savings," he said.
Muhammad Nabil Fikri is one of 68 bank employees hailed by the banking industry for their collective efforts in preventing customers from transferring over RM139mil to potential scam accounts in 2025.
National Taskforce to Combat Fraud chairman and Maybank group CEO of community financial services Syed Ahmad Taufik Albar said the dedication and vigilance of bank staff are crucial.
"As personnel on the ground against financial crime, their swift actions and commitment have been instrumental in detecting suspicious activities and preventing fraudulent transactions before further losses can occur," he said at the Bank Heroes Recognition event here today (June 10).
Syed Ahmad Taufik said the bank staff's efforts alongside other security measures by banks and financial institutions contributed to a 46% increase in successfully blocked fraudulent transaction attempts in 2025 compared to 2024.
“The total value of prevented fraudulent transactions also rose to RM1.19bil, representing a three-fold increase year-on-year and reflecting the industry’s continued commitment to strengthening fraud prevention amid an increasingly sophisticated scam landscape,” he added.
Ongoing efforts
Banks have also introduced security enhancements for online banking including Kill Switch functions. Syed Ahmad Taufik noted that around 300,000 users have activated the function, preventing close to RM7mil in potential losses.
He added that malware-shielding features in bank apps have also prevented over 60,000 malware-related scam attempts in 2025, preventing approximately RM22mil in potential losses.
"Banks across the board are investing in enhancing their capabilities, and are also using AI (artificial intelligence) to combat scams," he said, addressing the concern of AI-assisted capabilities to commit scams.
When asked to comment on experts' call for banks to step up fraud detection in light of a Sessions Court ruling for a bank to compensate a customer for failing to prevent unauthorised transactions, Syed Ahmad Taufik said banks have responded positively.
"Banks have acknowledged when it comes to fraud incidents. Some (incidents) can happen because customers don't pay enough attention or have revealed their credentials to scammers.
"Some could also happen due to lapses because banks are also powered by humans. And humans, along with machines, monitor which transactions are fraudulent or not. Banks have responded positively and where we feel there is joint culpability, banks have taken the extra step to actually compensate the customers for their losses," he said, adding that these measures are aligned with Bank Negara Malaysia.
Commercial Crime Investigation Department director police commissioner Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said customers have to do their due diligence when it comes to banking matters.
"Based on our experience, when there's an online-related fraud, some customers don't even check with something as basic as SemakMule. They will proceed with whatever money transfer right away. So we advise people to check first and act fast to report scams," he added.
Syed Ahmad Taufik said SemakMule has been largely integrated with fraud and anti-money laundering systems in the banks: "To what extent, it may vary from bank to bank."
The Bank Heroes Recognition event is part of the #JanganKenaScam campaign, a nationwide scam awareness initiative launched in 2023 by The Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) and The Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM), organised in collaboration with the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).
