Banks in Malaysia have issued a warning about scams involving fraudsters posing as National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) officers. These scams are increasingly targeting bank customers.
In these scams, perpetrators impersonate NSRC officers, claiming that the victim’s personal information, such as their National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) number or mobile number, is linked to illegal activities. The fraudsters use these tactics to frighten victims into compliance.
Typically, the scam begins with a call from an unknown number, with the caller pretending to be an NSRC officer.
The fraudster falsely claims that the victim’s identity has been used in criminal activities like money laundering.
They then conduct lengthy interrogations, mimicking real investigations, to gain the victim’s trust. This involves repeated phone calls over a prolonged period of time.
Eventually, the victim is asked to leave their debit or ATM card at a designated location, enabling the fraudster to access their online banking account and make unauthorised transactions.
If the victim does not have an existing online banking facility, the fraudster could even register for one.
Customers are urged to hang up immediately if they receive such calls, as the NSRC does not make outbound calls.
Banks also caution against fraudsters posing as officers from enforcement agencies like Bank Negara Malaysia and Polis Diraja Malaysia, who use threats to manipulate victims into revealing their banking information.
Banks remind customers never to share sensitive information such as credit or debit card numbers, online banking credentials, or SMS OTP/TAC numbers.
To combat these scams, the banking industry implemented several security measures in July 2023.
This includes replacing SMS OTP with more secure authentication methods, tightening fraud detection rules, enforcing a cooling-off period for new online banking registrations, limiting the number of registered devices, and establishing a 24/7 complaint channel.
Customers are encouraged to practice good cyber hygiene by avoiding hyperlinks from unknown sources, downloading apps only from official stores, and never sharing their banking details.
Those who fall victim to scams should contact the National Scam Response Centre at 997 or their bank’s 24/7 customer service hotlines. For more information, visit the Jangan Kena Scam website.
Featured image credit: Edited from Freepik
