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THE fight against online fraud has revealed staggering losses exceeding RM1 billion, with authorities pointing to the vast volume of complaints handled by the National Scam Response Centre since its launch.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa Rusdi Mohd Isa said a total of 363,817 calls received between Oct 12, 2022, and March 31 this year led to 77,771 police reports being lodged.
"The losses incurred by victims who reported to the NSRC is about RM1.05bil during the same period," he said when contacted on Wednesday (May 6).
He added that the reported cases involved 296,567 bank accounts identified as being linked to online scams, highlighting the scale and complexity of financial tracking required by investigators.
Despite the scale of losses, enforcement efforts have yielded some recovery. Authorities have seized RM29.12 million, of which RM9.2 million has been successfully returned to victims.
This year alone has seen continued pressure on the system. Between Jan 1 and March 31, 11,486 reports were recorded following 55,619 calls to the NSRC.
"We seized RM4.2mil in funds and so far RM1.9mil have been successfully returned to the victims
"The statistics show the critical role played by NSRC in handling cases of online scams, especially in tracking flow of funds and freezing accounts," he said.
The coordinated mechanism of the NSRC reflects a broader commitment by the police, particularly the Commercial Crime Investigation Department, to curb the rising threat of digital fraud.
"We urge those have become victims of scams to contact the NSRC hotline 997 as soon as possible," he said. - May 6, 2026