MALAYSIA recorded RM2.77 billion in scam-related losses nationwide in 2025, almost double from RM1.57 billion in 2024.
In response, Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (PPIM) chairman Datuk Nadzim Johan demanded tougher action against telecommunications companies over alleged security failures and unchecked fraud activities.
He claimed that weak telco policies and irresponsible SIM card registrations have enabled scammers to exploit consumers using fake identities and illegally registered phone lines.
He alleged some victims unknowingly had multiple phone lines registered under their names, with one case involving 18 lines linked to a single individual after a failed phone purchase scam.
One victim was retiree Suhaimi Shuib, 68, who was scammed for a total of RM21,000.
Suhaimi suspected that the phone seller was the one who took his personal information and filled up all his registered phone line quota, possibly to be used for online scams.
He was diagnosed with a heart disease, subsequently due to the stress caused by the incident, accumulating a total loss of RM40,000.
Nadzim said consumers are increasingly exposed to scam calls, hidden charges, unauthorised service subscriptions and insurance add-ons that continue billing users unless they manually opt out.
He urged the government and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to impose maximum penalties on telcos found negligent, including proposals for fines as high as RM1 billion per company.
“Telco must be made responsible. Where is humanity for this kind of case?” he said in a press conference today.
PPIM also proposed that part of the fines collected from telcos be channelled back to scam victims as reimbursement for financial losses suffered.
Meanwhile, businessman Muhammad Mirzan Johor shared how scammers posing as officers from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) attempted to deceive him through a fake cattle purchase order and gift procurement scheme that could have cost him RM18,000.
PPIM said it is compiling complaints from scam victims nationwide and plans to intensify pressure on telcos, regulators and enforcement agencies to strengthen consumer protection measures against increasingly sophisticated scams.
Article by: The Malaysian Reserve
SCAM LOSSES SURGE TO RM2.77B, PPIM WANTS TELCOS HELD ACCOUNTABLE
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