KUALA LUMPUR (May 14): The public has been reminded to remain vigilant against scams involving individuals impersonating National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) officers, which may result in monetary losses.
In a joint statement, the Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM), the Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM) warned of an increasing number of such scams targeting bank customers.
The scam modus operandi begins with the victim receiving a call from someone pretending to be an NSRC officer. The caller claims that the victim's identity, such as the victim’s National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) number or mobile number, is linked to illegal activities like money laundering and mule account transactions.
"The fraudster then employs lengthy ‘interrogation’ tactics that mimic a real investigation to establish a sense of legitimacy. This involves repeated phone calls over a prolonged period. Finally, after gaining the victim’s trust, the fraudster asks the victim to leave their debit/ATM card at a designated location," the statement said.
This allows the fraudster to access the victim’s online banking account to make unauthorised transfers and bill payments, register for online banking if necessary, and withdraw cash using the victim’s card.
It emphasised that the NSRC only receives calls from the public and does not make any outbound calls to individuals, urging the public to immediately hang up if they receive calls from individuals claiming to be NSRC officers.
Additionally, the public should be wary of fraudsters posing as officers from enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies, such as Bank Negara Malaysia and the Royal Malaysian Police, who use threats and scare tactics over the phone to manipulate victims into transferring money or divulging their online banking credentials.
The public is reminded that banks will never ask for sensitive information such as credit/debit card numbers, CVV numbers, online banking usernames, passwords, or SMS OTP/TAC numbers.
To enhance security, banks have implemented several measures since July 2023, including replacing SMS OTP with secure authentication methods, tightening fraud detection, instituting a cooling-off period for new online banking registrations, allowing only one secure device registration, and offering a 24/7 complaint channel.
The public is advised to practise good cyber hygiene by avoiding links from unknown sources, downloading apps only from official stores, and not sharing banking details or engaging with unknown calls or messages.
Victims of scams should immediately call the NSRC at 997 or their bank's 24/7 customer service hotline for help, and the public is advised to stay informed about the latest scams by visiting www.JanganKenaScam.com.