GEORGE TOWN: The Penang police recorded an 82.7 per cent increase in commercial crime cases for the first four months of this year, with a total of 1,387 cases, involving a loss of RM53 million.
State police chief Datuk Khaw Kok Chin said a total of 759 cases were recorded for the same period last year, involving a total loss of RM28 million.
“These commercial crime cases are a very serious problem in today’s society. From the beginning of January to April 30, commercial crime cases increased by 628 cases or 82.7 per cent,” he told reporters, after the Penang police chief’s monthly assembly and mandate, at the state police contingent headquarters today.
He said most of the victims were cheated online, including telecommunication (phone scams), love scams, e-financial and e-commerce frauds, and non-existent loans and investments.
“Among the contributing factors behind these widespread criminal activities, and difficult to detect, is that scammers often change their modus operandi, using false registration of prepaid services; the use of mule accounts and the constraints of existing legal provisions,” he said.
Khaw said the phenomenon posed a challenge for the police to take more comprehensive and aggressive preventive measures, in making the public aware of the risk of fraud using communication technology. - Bernama