Existence of dummy bank accounts led to cybercrimes – MCCA

KUALA LUMPUR - The exploitable nature of victims, their tendency to panic easily and their lack of knowledge about cyber technology are among the contributing factors to the rising cases of online fraud in the country.

Malaysian Cyber Consumer Association (MCCA) Chairman Datuk Ahmad Noordin Ismail stated that this was because criminals were adept at manipulating the psychology of victims.

"Victims who easily panic subsequently disclose personal details, including banking information, to scammers, who then entrap them," he said when contacted on Monday.

Noordin said the main essence regarding online fraud cases and other cybercrimes were dummy accounts.

"If there are no dummy accounts, there would be no money transactions to scammers.

"Therefore, the government must take more drastic measures to ensure that bank accounts are not manipulated by cybercriminals by enacting laws to regulate personal or corporate accounts," he said.

Noordin said that the National Digital Identity or Digital ID introduced by the government was beneficial for transactions involving government platforms, but there were concerns about whether it could be misused to control people's personal data for fraudulent purposes or impersonation.

Noordin emphasised that cyber users also want to know the number of cybercrime cases arrested and charged in court from time to time.

"For cyber cases, the main problem is identifying cunning criminals who are good at hiding behind the network system.

"Authorities need to be equipped with the latest equipment and technology to assist in investigations," he said.

Further commenting, Noordin said that the public was also exposed to scams due to a lack of knowledge about cyber technology.

"Fraud syndicates do not choose their victims; they target professionals, young people, and the elderly. The responsibility to protect oneself from fraud syndicates lies with the community itself," he said.

Additionally, he said that the desire for greater investment returns also makes victims susceptible.

"When victims make investments, scammers offer higher profit packages. So, victims are eager to try these packages, resulting in a loss of a lot of money due to deception," he said.

Noordin said that the public can take various security measures such as regularly updating software processes.

"The public can also use strong security passwords and two-factor authentication to protect their accounts," he said.

He added that people should also be cautious of phishing emails and messages and should not open any suspicious links.

"People should regularly monitor the status of their bank accounts to detect any suspicious activity.

"Increase awareness of cyber threats to protect devices and personal information in cyberspace," he said.