KUALA LUMPUR: Women make up the majority of the victims of the Macau and African scams in the country, said Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh.
She said from January to October this year, a total of 1,911 Macau scams were recorded, and of the total, 1,109 cases involved female victims.
While for the African scam cases, of the 1,303 cases recorded during the same period, 1,070 cases involved women.
“The syndicate will usually contact the victims to inform them on things that will create fear such as claims that they are involved in crime, have outstanding debts or summonses and so on.
“When receiving such call, it is advisable for them to refer to the relevant agencies to verify the validity of such claims.
“Don’t believe it easily and don’t simply follow instructions given such as providing identification card numbers or bank account details,” she told the media in a joint press conference with Deputy Home Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman at the Parliament lobby yesterday.
Yeoh also reminded people to never send or deposit any money into the accounts of people they only met online to avoid being victimised by the African scam syndicate.
Meanwhile, Mohd Azis said the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) had developed a portal http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule to enable the public to check on mule accounts.
If the bank account is being investigated by the police, it would be displayed on the portal and the public is advised against making any deposit into those accounts.
At the same time, Mohd Azis said his ministry would continue to work with the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to address the issue as women appeared to be such ‘easy target’ for the syndicates. —Bernama