COMMERCIAL CRIME CASES UP 81.6 PCT, RM3.6 BILLION IN LOSSES - IGP

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 (Bernama) -- A total of 52,000 commercial crime cases were reported nationwide from January to September this year, involving losses amounting to RM3.6 billion, said Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail.

He said the figure represented an increase of 81.6 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year.

According to Mohd Khalid, online fraud cases, including love scams and fake investment schemes, accounted for 80 per cent of all reported commercial crime cases during the period.

“Statistics from January to September last year recorded more than 47,000 cases with losses amounting to RM2 billion, representing an increase of 94 per cent compared with the same period in the previous year,” he said at the IGP’s monthly assembly at Bukit Aman here today.

He added that the government views commercial crime as a serious concern and has tasked the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), through its Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), to lead the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) which brings together expertise from PDRM, the National Financial Crime Centre (NFCC), Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

“Since its establishment in 2022 until last September, the NSRC has received more than 266,000 calls,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohd Khalid said CCID remains committed to combating commercial crime, having arrested nearly 21,000 individuals for various offences from January to September this year.

He added that CCID has also conducted more than 14,000 crime prevention activities, including exhibitions, talks, and strategic collaborations with the media, which are continuously implemented to raise public awareness about the threat of commercial crime.

-- BERNAMA