KUCHING, Oct 25: Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen urges the public to be vigilant and cautious with their personal information in order to avoid falling victim to online scams and fraud.
According to Chong in a statement today, in recent months, due to the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in bank scams and online cheating.
“Therefore, I call on the public to be vigilant against such fraud which are normally perpetrated through phone calls, emails or WhatsApp messages.
“To avoid falling victim to such scams, the general rule of thumb is never to disclose any personal information or account details (bank, account number, and passwords) to the other side,” he emphasised highlighted.
Chong, who is the Kota Sentosa assemblyman, asserted that Bank Negara should also play a more proactive role in tracking down the culprits who are involved in these scams and frauds.
“Bank Negara should be more proactive in tracking down the ultimate beneficiaries of the scam instead of “double-penalising” the innocent victims of bank scams, who have unsuspectingly fallen victim to such scams and thereafter to be put through all the incessant inconvenience of Bank Negara’s blacklist, which normally will continue for months and even years,” he added.
Chong cited the experience of an online loan scam victim who sought out his assistance recently. The victim had applied for an online loan after coming across a Facebook advertisement but his personal information was used to conduct transactions through his bank account which was subsequently closed by the bank.
The victim was also blacklisted by Bank Negara which is causing him much inconvenience. Chong revealed he would liaise with the victim’s bank and Bank Negara to assist the victim to get his name removed from the blacklist. — DayakDaily
