SHAH ALAM – A non-governmental organisation has urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to intensify efforts to disseminate information on scammers’ modus operandi, which are difficult for victims to detect due to the criminals’ deceptive tactics.
Jalinan Sahabat Nusantara (Jasanusa) president Samsudin Awang said immediate action must be taken because every moment of delay in protecting the public allows criminals to create new methods.
“Ultimately, we will no longer be able to keep up with the speed of their innovation because we are still slow to act. The latest tactic of cybercriminals, which uses psychological approaches to deceive the public through phone calls, must be curbed before it spreads,” he said in a statement.
He said among the narratives currently used by phone scammers were attempts to frighten victims by claiming they were involved in serious criminal charges such as money laundering, being an account mule, fake loans, or involvement in courier deliveries containing prohibited items.
Samsudin said at the initial stage, syndicates set traps without making harsh threats. Instead, they begin calls formally by introducing themselves as enforcement officers from government departments such as the police, customs, or tax authorities.
“After several interactions with the victim over the phone, they begin persuading the victim to transfer money from their personal account to a third-party account, supposedly for temporary protection or to prevent the funds from being frozen by the authorities,” he said.
In reality, the money is siphoned off little by little through online transactions until the victim realises they have been deceived, but by then the losses may already reach hundreds of thousands and in some cases millions of ringgit.
“Throughout the communication, the criminals convince the victim by passing the call to several other individuals who are supposedly senior officers offering solutions to the ‘criminal case’,” he added.
Samsudin said each stage of call transfers, the pressure builds, making victims feel desperate and more likely to follow instructions to transfer money in stages, believing this will help them avoid bank limits on large transfers.
No reports yet of voices recorded and used with AI
Police have advised the public to be cautious of unknown phone calls that disconnect suddenly or produce no sound, as they may be misused for fraudulent activities.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said checks by the CCID Intelligence Unit so far have found no police reports related to silent calls being recorded and misused using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
“So far, there have been no reports from victims claiming they received silent calls, had their voices recorded and later used through AI applications to scam family members or acquaintances,” he said.
However, he urged the public not to take the matter lightly, as it could potentially be exploited by scam syndicates in the future.
Rusdi also advised the public not to mention or disclose any personal information when receiving suspicious calls and to verify through official channels if they receive calls claiming to involve authorities or financial institutions.
Previously, it was reported that Cheras Commercial Crime Investigation Department officer, Inspector Tai Yong Keong said silent calls were believed to be used as a victim-screening method by online scam syndicates.
He said syndicates recorded victims’ voices for several seconds, which may later be misused in commercial crimes and fraud.
“These syndicates are capable of altering or imitating voices using AI technology before contacting the victim’s family members or acquaintances for scam purposes,” Tai said.