KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 — A total of 34,497 cases of online scams involving losses of RM1.218 billion were reported nationwide in 2023, the Dewan Negara was told today.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said based on the 2023 statistics, telecommunications crime cases such as SMS contest scams, online impersonation scams, and phone call scams were among the highest recorded cases, with 10,348 cases involving losses totalling RM352.9 million.

"In this issue, the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) also plays a role in coordinating rapid responses to online crime scams. For your information, throughout the year 2023, a total of 6,434 investigation papers were opened through NSRC calls, involving a total loss of RM105.4 million.

"Out of this total, RM17,536,372.30 was successfully blocked before being withdrawn by the criminals, and a total of RM178,407.93 in seized funds was successfully returned to the victims,” he said when replying to a question from Senator Manolan Mohamad.

He added that a total of 1,610 exhibitions and 3,727 talks related to scams were conducted last year to raise awareness among the public. — Bernama