SIBU, Feb 26 — Scam awareness campaigns ought to be intensified to educate the public on the scammers’ modus operandi, said Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee.
The deputy minister of education, innovation and talent development said this following an initial briefing by Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili, where he was informed of the surge of online fraud cases here.
“People in Sibu seem to easily fall prey to scammers, which I think is due to their lack of knowledge on how to handle a situation when being approached or called by the scammers,” Dr Annuar said when launching a job scam awareness campaign at University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) here today.
The campaign was organised by the National Consumer Action Council (MPTN) Sibu branch and Majlis Pemerkasaan Pendidikan Negara (MPPN).
Dr Annuar, who is also UTS chairman and Nangka assemblyman, therefore advised the public not to entertain phone calls from those claiming to be from government agencies or departments.
“Nobody from the government agencies or departments will make deals involving money transactions through phone calls.
“It is almost every day that I read about scam cases involving Sibu people in the newspaper, and the victims include teachers which is very surprising,” he said.
“So, I think we need to carry out a lot more educational talks or awareness campaigns not just on job scams but other types of scams too.”
The event was also attended by MTPN Sibu branch chairman Lucas Lau. — Borneo Post Online
