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Malaysians suffered RM2.23 billion losses from cyber-crime frauds |
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Written by admin3
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Friday, 16 July 2021 16:32 |
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 July 16, 2021 @ 1:27pm
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians suffered losses amounting to about RM2.23 billion from cyber-crime frauds since 2017.
According to statistics from the police, a total 67,552 cyber-crime cases were reported between 2017 till June 20 this year.
Of the total, e-commerce scams topped the chart with 23,011 cases, followed by illegal loans (21,008) and investment scams with 6,273 cases.
To put an end to this, the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) and Facebook Malaysia, in partnership with government agencies, industry players and consumer associations today launched a nationwide #TakNakScam awareness campaign.
The campaign is to educate the public on how to identify, check and report against the highly deceptive tactics employed by scammers.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Deputy Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid said that the development of eCommerce was akin to a double edged sword where frauds, scams and other cyber-crimes via digital platforms has increased in line with the success of digital businesses.
He said there were a total of 11,511 (33.2 per cent) complaints on online transactions recorded by the ministry last year, an increase compared to 5,416 (24.7 per cent) complaints received in 2019.
"The complaints have been steadily rising, and as of June 2021, it was one of the most frequent complaints received by the ministry at 45.2 per cent of total complaints.
"Both the government and private sectors must prepare to prevent an impending wave of fraud and if there are no drastic measures taken, the online scam will affect consumer confidence severely among others.
"A more holistic approach is needed to curb this issue that involves many cross agencies, and private sector collaborations," he said when delivering his keynote address via Zoom today.
He launched the #TakNakScam campaign in the presence of Bukit Aman CCID deputy director (Cyber-crimes and Multimedia investigation) Senior Assistant Commissioner Victor Sanjos, Facebook Malaysia interim country director Justin Murugaya, Bank Negara Malaysia Penang branch chief Hasjun Hashim and Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) deputy secretary Nur Asyikin Aminuddin.
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Be wary of shopping via social media platforms - FOMCA |
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Written by admin3
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Tuesday, 06 July 2021 09:24 |
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 05 JUL 2021 / 13:52 H.
FOMCA has been receiving numerous complaints from people who have been cheated when shopping via social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, WeChat, WhatsApp, Telegram and others. Buying via social media platforms is unadvisable.
The government is encouraging Malaysians to venture into online businesses as the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted many people due to job loss, while some have been forced to take no-pay leave.
Although there are many sincere sellers who are selling their products such as food, clothes, art and craft, etc, to make ends meet, nevertheless, there are many who are using online platforms to cheat guileless consumers.
The largest number of reports were on non-delivery of goods purchased. Most of the complaints were regarding sellers not delivering the promised goods, sellers were missing, ghosting, etc.
Most of the transactions ranged from RM30 to RM9,000. Once payments were made, the scammers disappeared without a trace. Even the websites and phone numbers were no longer available.
Besides being victims of online scams, many consumers also claimed to be given the runaround and when it came to product delivery, with some products taking more than a month to arrive.
While many online sellers are legitimate, social media scammers use the internet to rip off unsuspecting shoppers. They will often ask consumers to wire transfer money upfront.
As more Malaysians turn to the internet to purchase goods and services, there is a pressing need for an improved legal framework to protect rights of consumers.
The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs and Ministry of Communication and Multimedia Commission should regulate online sellers who use social media to sell their products and services.
Many of them are not registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia. Consumers are urged not to trust any social media platform to do any transaction.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 July 2021 09:26 |
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Written by admin3
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Friday, 09 July 2021 11:50 |
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 Friday, 09 Jul 2021
PETALING JAYA: As more Malaysians rely on e-commerce websites to purchase items during the movement control order, the number of complaints on such purchases has also risen.
When the MCO was first imposed in March last year, many complaints on related products like face masks and sanitisers were lodged, according to National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) senior manager Baskaran Sithamparam.
“Many consumers relied on purchasing their daily needs from e-commerce sites.
“Rogue sellers (scammers) took advantage of the situation and started offering their products on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others.
“Many buyers were scammed and until today, we still receive complaints from consumers scammed by these sellers on social media,” he said when contacted yesterday.
The NCCC comes under the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca).
Baskaran said for legitimate e-commerce platforms, the type of complaints received mostly touched on their refund and return policy which were said to be tedious and time-consuming.
“Besides that, the vendors were also defended by the (online) selling platforms when consumers receive substandard products.
“There were also complaints on misleading information, defective products and products that were not as advertised,” he added.
However, he noted that recently, some issues regarding refunds and return policies from legitimate e-commerce platforms have improved slightly.
“Some consumers also face issues pertaining to e-wallet withdrawals,” he said, adding that consumers should be allowed to withdraw their own cash within a short time period.
On sellers on social media platforms, Baskaran said many scammers posed as sellers.
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Bank Negara digesa turun padang pantau syarikat insurans: Fomca |
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Written by admin3
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Thursday, 01 July 2021 14:49 |
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01 Julai 2021
SHAH ALAM - Gabungan Persatuan-Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (Fomca) menggesa Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) turun padang serta memantau syarikat insurans dan bengkel kenderaan bagi membanteras rasuah dalam industri insurans di Malaysia.
Presiden Fomca, Profesor Datuk Dr N Marimuthu berkata, langkah itu perlu dilakukan bagi memastikan industri berkenaan mematuhi undang-undang serta terma perkhidmatan mereka.
“BNM sebagai agensi yang memantau industri insurans harus turun padang dan memantau industri insurans supaya mereka akur serta mengikut peraturan-peraturan yang terkandung dalam terma dan syarat.
“Jika BNM menerima aduan daripada pengguna, mereka juga harus siasat secara mendalam supaya gejala rasuah dalam industri insurans kenderaan dapat dibanteras,” katanya ketika dihubungi Sinar Harian pada Rabu.
Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas mengenai tindakan yang wajar diambil BNM bagi membanteras rasuah dalam industri insurans ketika ini.
Mengulas lanjut, Marimuthu berkata, BNM yang berfungsi sebagai pemantau bagi pihak kerajaan perlu mengambil tindakan tegas jika didapati wujud penyelewengan dalam industri tersebut.
Selain itu, katanya, BNM juga perlu merancang strategi yang sesuai untuk memantau bagi menjamin gejala rasuah dalam industri itu dapat ditangani sebaiknya.“Tindakan ini penting supaya hak pengguna lebih terjamin serta tidak akan mengambil masa lama untuk memproses tuntutan dan sebagainya,” katanya.
Sementara itu, beliau mencadangkan supaya syarikat insurans dikehendaki menetapkan tempoh tertentu bagi memberi penerangan kepada pelanggan tentang insurans yang mereka ambil.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 July 2021 09:27 |
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