Kuala lumpur: A total of 52,000 commercial crime cases were reported nationwide from January to September this year, involving losses amounting to RM3.6 billion, said Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail. He noted that this figure represents an increase of 81.6 percent compared with the corresponding period last year.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, online fraud cases, including love scams and fake investment schemes, accounted for 80 percent of all reported commercial crime cases during the period. Mohd Khalid highlighted that statistics from January to September of the previous year recorded more than 47,000 cases with losses amounting to RM2 billion, marking an increase of 94 percent compared with the same period in the year prior.

He added that the government views commercial crime as a serious concern and has tasked the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), through its Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), to lead the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC). This initiative brings together expertise from PDRM, the National Financial Crime Centre (NFCC), Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

Since its establishment in 2022 until last September, the NSRC has received more than 266,000 calls, Mohd Khalid reported. Meanwhile, he mentioned that CCID remains committed to combating commercial crime, having arrested nearly 21,000 individuals for various offences from January to September this year.

Additionally, CCID has conducted over 14,000 crime prevention activities, including exhibitions, talks, and strategic collaborations with the media. These initiatives are continuously implemented to raise public awareness about the threat of commercial crime.