KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 2,824 phone scam cases were recorded last year, resulting in losses exceeding RM142 million.
Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said the cases involved 1,703 female victims and 1,121 male victims.
"The majority of the victims were aged 21 to 30 (1,133 people), followed by those aged 31 to 40 (516), 41 to 50 (375), 61 and above (310), 51 to 60 (270), and 10 to 15 (220)," he said in a statement.
Ramli said throughout the year, the CCID conducted numerous raids, leading to the arrest of 1,320 individuals. He added that 1,142 cases were brought to court last year.
In phone scam cases, scammers employ psychological tactics to manipulate their victims into providing sensitive information, including banking details.
"They (scammers) use the same psychological tricks they've been using for years, adapting their scripts to stay relevant.
"The scammers still rely on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and spoofing applications to contact victims and conceal their identities."
VoIP enables calls to be made over the internet and is commonly used in applications like WhatsApp.
Spoofing allows scammers to mask their phone numbers, enabling them to mimic numbers used by authorities and convince victims of their 'legitimacy.'
"Based on cases recorded last year, some scammers even impersonated officers from the National Scam Response Centre," he said, adding that these cases involved 24 incidents and losses amounting to RM1.9 million.
Ramli also noted cases where victims physically handed over valuables, such as jewellery, banking instruments, and cash.
He said victims were instructed to leave their valuables at specified locations, with no direct interaction with the suspects.