RM71mil lost through online scams in Johor this year, say Johor cops

JOHOR BARU: Johor police have seen a significant rise of over 2,000 reports on online scam cases, resulting in losses of about RM71mil since early 2023, according to Johor police chief Comm Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat (pic).

Comm Kamarul Zaman mentioned that this increase accounts for about 15.5% compared to the previous year, with a total of 2,079 reports received between January 1 and September 16, compared to 1,800 during the same period last year.

Furthermore, he stated, “The losses have also witnessed a surge from RM57mil last year to RM71mil this year.”

In terms of the types of scams, online purchase scams made up the highest number of cases, totaling 485, followed by fake investment scams at 382 cases.

“There were approximately RM7mil lost from online purchase scams, while losses of RM29mil were recorded for fake investment scam cases,” he stated.

Moreover, there were 368 reported phone scam cases, accounting for RM17mil in losses, 361 job scams leading to losses amounting to RM9mil, as well as 338 fake loan scams resulting in RM3mil in losses.

Comm Kamarul Zaman further revealed that out of the 2,079 cases reported this year, 478 of them have been forwarded to the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC).

He cautioned the public to exercise caution when engaging in online activities in order to avoid becoming victims of these scams.