KUALA LUMPUR – Criminals are getting more sophisticated in manipulating victims using fear and emotional deception – from love scams to threats of arrest – often causing victims to unknowingly approve financial transactions, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) warns.
BNM Kuala Lumpur regional office manager S. Vijayadurai said many online fraud cases now happen with the victim’s own “consent”, after being psychologically or emotionally coerced.
“Some victims are told they are involved in drug or hit-and-run cases, while some scammers even pose as individuals wanting to have romantic ties with the victims,” he said on a Bernama Radio programme.
Scammers are also using advanced tools like spoofing and AI voice cloning to make their deception more convincing.
Vijayadurai urged the public to follow the 3S method: “Soal” (question) suspicious messages, “Sekat” (refrain) from acting on them, and “Sebar” (share) accurate information with others.
“Usually, the money taken by scammers will be received through a mule account… The chances of recovering the stolen funds depend on how fast the victims lodge a report,” he said.
To combat rising fraud, BNM is working with the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NFCC), police, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), banks and telcos through the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC).
Victims should call 997 immediately and lodge a police report to maximise the chances of fund recovery. – June 24, 2025