The government must take decisive action to strengthen laws against scams and fraud, including imposing tougher penalties to make such offences a “high-risk, low-reward crime”, says Alliance for a Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
Lee said he strongly supported Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Khalid Ismail’s call for existing laws to be reviewed and strengthened, arguing that current punishments did not provide enough deterrence.
“The message must be clear: scamming is not a minor offence. It is a serious crime that can destroy lives, wipe out the life savings of victims and cause severe emotional and psychological distress,” he said in a statement.
He said the National Scam Response Centre receiving between 500 and 600 calls a day showed that scams had reached an “epidemic” level and required stronger action.
Lee said scammers were becoming increasingly sophisticated, using technology and psychological manipulation while operating through networks involving mule accounts, telecommunications channels, digital platforms and, in some cases, organised criminal syndicates.
“Yet if the punishment does not match the seriousness of the offence, it will not provide an adequate deterrent,” he said.
He urged the government to consider heavier penalties for major scam-related offences so that punishments reflect the scale of harm suffered by victims.
He also called for tougher sentences for repeat offenders and organised scam syndicates, particularly those deliberately targeting senior citizens, vulnerable individuals and first-time digital banking users.
Lee said laws involving mule account holders and people who knowingly facilitate scams should also be strengthened, while ensuring that innocent individuals who were deceived or exploited were treated fairly.
He further called for stronger asset-tracing and recovery powers to enable authorities to freeze and recover scam proceeds as quickly as possible.
Closer cooperation between police, banks, telecommunications companies, digital platforms and other agencies was also needed to detect and disrupt scams before victims lost their money, he said.
Lee added that faster investigations and prosecutions were equally important, arguing that the certainty and speed of punishment could be as significant as the severity of the sentence.
However, he stressed that enforcement alone would not solve the problem, with public awareness and digital literacy needing to be strengthened continuously.
He urged the public to familiarise themselves with common scam tactics and adopt a “stop, check and verify” approach before transferring money or revealing personal information.
Banks and technology companies, meanwhile, should strengthen their safeguards and act quickly when suspicious transactions are detected, he said.
“Malaysia must not allow scams to become regarded as an unavoidable consequence of living in a digital society.
“We must make scams a high-risk, low-reward crime for criminals. If the law does not instil fear in those who commit these offences, they will continue to regard scamming as a lucrative business,” he said.
Khalid had previously called for outdated laws to be amended and tougher penalties, including whipping, to be considered for online scammers.
The police chief said existing penalties were too lenient and failed to deter masterminds and members of scam syndicates despite continuous arrests nationwide.
“Arrests are being made continuously nationwide, but the penalties imposed are so minimal that they do not instil fear in criminals,” he said.
Khalid added that the matter had been raised with the ministry and the government so that legislative changes could be introduced in line with technological developments and international standards.
