Kelantan: Kelantan has witnessed a surge in online scams, with total losses reaching RM8.79 million, primarily affecting retirees and professionals. Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat revealed that the first quarter of 2025 saw a 33.3 per cent increase in scam cases compared to last year, with 89 incidents reported.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, 'The rise in fraud cases is evident, with victims willingly paying large sums to scammers, even when they initially only sought small loans,' Mohd Yusoff stated during an Aidilfitri celebration at the Kelantan police contingent headquarters. He highlighted that some victims lost more than RM200,000, despite originally seeking loans of only around RM100,000.

Mohd Yusoff also pointed out that the most common scams reported this year are phone scams, known as the Macau Scam, with 113 cases, followed by 74 e-commerce scams. He explained that e-commerce scams often involve fraudulent vehicle purchases and online loan applications, particularly among retirees and professionals.

He noted that scammers are employing increasingly sophisticated methods, including fake loan offers and online gold investments. Despite their education, many victims remain vulnerable to seemingly easy and profitable offers.

In a separate development, Mohd Yusoff mentioned that illegal border crossings from Malaysia to Thailand have drastically decreased since the border closure on December 1. Daily illegal crossings have fallen from 400 to 500 people to fewer than 20, leading to a 60 per cent reduction in drug seizures in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.