MyKad holders can now check eligibility for incoming RM100 aid

 

All to know: Further information, including a list of participating stores by city and purchasing guidelines, is available on the official Sara portal. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star

PUTRAJAYA: A total of 22 million MyKad holders can check their eligibility for the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) Appreciation Aid via the official Sara portal at http://sara.gov.my.

In a statement yesterday, the Finance Ministry said Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above, or those born in 2007 or earlier, are eligible for the financial assistance, including existing Sara recipients.

“No registration or application is required, as eligibility for the Sara Appreciation Aid is determined automatically based on data from the National Registration Department,” it said, Bernama reported.

The ministry advised the public to be cautious of scams, noting that the RM100 aid will be disbursed directly to recipients’ MyKad, eliminating the need for intermediaries or third-party applications. 

The RM100 credit will be disbursed starting Aug 31 in conjunction with National Day, and can be used until Dec 31 this year.

To ensure equitable use of the nation’s wealth, the ministry said any unspent balance at the end of the year will be redirected to vulnerable groups through upcoming Madani programmes.

“Recipients can also choose to use the aid for charitable purposes, such as purchasing essential goods to donate to NGOs, houses of worship or for those in need,” it said.

The ministry said households stand to benefit more collectively. For example, a family of two parents and two adult children can receive up to RM400 in total.

The Sara aid can be spent at more than 7,300 registered retail outlets nationwide, a number that will continue to grow.

Beneficiaries can purchase over 100,000 essential items across 14 categories, including staple foods like rice and eggs, hygiene products, medicines, school supplies and personal care items.

Further information, including a list of participating stores by city and purchasing guidelines, is available on the official Sara portal. A FAQ section is also provided for public reference.

With the implementation of the Sara Appreciation Aid, total allocations under the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah and Sara programmes have been increased from RM13bil to RM15bil for 2025, which is 50% more than the RM10bil allocated in 2024.

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Online scams becoming ‘silent killers’, police say

 

ACP Abdul Rozak (centre) launching the poster. With him are Teoh (right) and Hoe. — Photos: ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star

THE growing menace of online scams have become impossible to ignore, with police describing them as “silent killers”, where the crimes not only drain victims financially but also leave lasting emotional scars and shatter livelihoods.

Investigation officer Inspector Muhammad Hyzreen Mohd Zain said such scams could wipe out victims’ savings and “subsequently destroy their lives.”

“Scams don’t just take your money, they destroy futures. They’re silent killers,” he said during his speech at Scam Awareness Talk + Say No to Scam campaign held at a mall in Farlim, Air Itam, Penang.

He said such crimes could also tarnish the reputation of enforcement agencies and erode public trust when victims mistakenly believe authorities failed to act.

He urged the public to practise digital vigilance to prevent falling prey to such schemes.

Insp Muhammad Hyzreen urges the public to practise digital vigilance.

Insp Muhammad Hyzreen stressed that many victims unknowingly allow scammers access to their financial information simply by downloading suspicious apps or clicking unverified links.

He advised the public to avoid sharing personal or banking information over the phone, even if the caller claimed to be from a government agency or financial institution.

He said scammers would often impersonate officials to gain trust and extract confidential data.

Insp Muhammad Hyzreen also reminded attendees to be wary of investment offers that promise unusually high returns.

“Always verify with Bank Negara or official sources before committing to any investment platform,” he said.

He encouraged the public to report any suspicious activity immediately to the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997, or contact the nearest police station for guidance.

The talk, organised as part of the campaign, aimed to educate the public on emerging fraud tactics and reinforce the importance of community vigilance in combating financial crime.

Organised by 30 Lions Clubs from Penang with collaboration from police, the event also saw the launch of the Call 997 poster.

Event organising chairman Teoh Shaw Jhee said the club had printed 2,000 copies of A2 posters which will be put up around Penang.

“The posters will be placed in public areas such as markets, schools, malls and high-rise buildings,” Teoh said in his speech.

Teoh said cyber and financial scam cases were now a threat to the public, and as such, it was important to raise awareness.

He said Lions Clubs could help police raise awareness of scams.

He said the posters was also to inform and educate the public on who to call if they faced the threat of scams in their daily life.

“Awareness is our first line of defence, calling 997 is the right way when you risk being scammed,” he added.

Present during the programme were George Town OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Rozak Muhammad, his deputy Supt Lee Swee Sake and District Governor Lions 308 B2 Don Hoe.

ACP Abdul Rozak, who launched the poster, praised Lions Clubs for organising the event and described the initiative as a noble effort.

“While we remain fully committed to combating corruption, success requires the collective support and cooperation of all stakeholders,” he said in his speech.

He advised the public not to be easily misled or duped by attractive offers from unknown individuals online.

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Don’t bite the scammers’ bait

 

PETALING JAYA: Staying alert and cautious about potentially deceptive online links is not just a matter of good practice; it is an essential defence against cunning scammers who aim to drain the bank accounts of unsuspecting victims.

Recently, scammers have exploited various forms of monetary and welfare aid offered online by the government, particularly targeting the lower-­income group by masking hyperlinks to deceive applicants.

Certified fraud examiner and anti-money laundering specialist Raymon Ram (pic) advises that being cautious of suspicious online links can help reduce the risk of online scams.

He said that in addition to emails, malicious links are now appearing across various channels, including short message services (SMS), WhatsApp or Telegram applications, social media posts and pop-up windows.

These links frequently disguise themselves as coming from reputable sources, including government agencies, banks and various service providers.

“Scammers have become skilled at making their links appear legitimate, but there are several red flags online users could look out for,” he said.

He said scammers often create websites that mimic real organisations by adding small typos or extra words to genuine website addresses to hoodwink their potential victims.

Raymon said users should check the core or root domain that comes before the top domain, like “dot com”, “dot gov”, or “dot my”, to make sure it matches the real one they want to use.

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“Users should be aware that the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure protocol (HTTPS) does not assure safety, and neither does the padlock icon, as scammers can easily obtain these certificates.

“HTTPS alone does not prove a site’s legitimacy, as it simply means the data sent is encrypted,” said the founder and managing principal of Graymatter Forensic Advisory, a company that specialises in financial forensics.

He said scammers also insert messages that appear urgent or may emotionally trigger users to react and proceed without caution.

“Examples of such messages include phrases like ‘your account will be suspended’ or ‘claim your prize now’.

“Other indicators of potential scams are poor grammar, misspellings and generic greetings.

“Also, in contrast, legitimate organisations typically address individuals by their names and maintain a professional and formal tone.

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“Users are also advised to preview or scrutinise links to ascertain their destinations before clicking on them.

“If users are unsure, it’s best to avoid such links and verify their authenticity with the institution they are trying to reach,” Raymon said.

Asked whether a single click on a scam link can result in the loss of someone’s bank account, he clarified that it typically requires multiple actions for users to lose their funds.

Raymon said there are three main pathways that lead to online theft, namely through phishing websites – where a user clicks a link and lands on a fake bank login page before providing their username, password and one-time code.

Scammers eventually use the details to access the real account and transfer money, he added.

He said another tactic is to embed malicious mobile applications such as APK files.

“A user clicks on a link that tells them to install an unofficial Android app.

“The app takes over the device and reads SMS messages, intercepts OTPs, or puts up fake banking screens to get login information.

“These programmes allow scammers to watch the user’s activities and capture sensitive information.

“Hence, it is not the first click itself that empties a bank account but a chain of actions that occurred earlier,” he said.

He said scammers also hide dangerous links to trick people, which is a common method used in phishing and other scams.

“Scammers may hide links in several different ways.

“One example would be putting up a button or text that says ‘Visit Bank Negara’, but a hidden link that takes people to a different website,” Raymon said.

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UN sounds alarm on scam expansion

Scam clampdown: A file photo showing a general view of Shwe Kokko city, a casino, entertainment and tourism complex, from Thailand’s side of the border. — Reuters

Cyber crime syndicates that run multi-billion-dollar scam operations across South-East Asia are still expanding despite recent law enforcement crackdowns, building links from Ireland to Mexico and reaching a potentially irreversible global spillover, the United Nations warned. 

The transnational criminal networks are infiltrating and scaling up in other parts of the world, particularly in the Pacific region, Africa, South America and South Asia, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in a report published on Monday.

They use trafficked workers from dozens of countries and are largely based in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

The growth has been enabled by the rise of new, illicit online marketplaces, with such cryptocurrency-integrated platforms being used to launder money and connect illegal actors around the world, the agency said.

It noted that there are now “hundreds of large-scale scam operations conservatively generating tens of billions of dollars” in annual profits.

“The dispersal of these sophisticated criminal networks within areas of weakest governance has attracted new players, fuelled corruption, and enabled the industry to continue to scale,” the report said.

The spillover effect has seen criminal groups now “free to pick, choose, and move jurisdictions, operations, and value as needed, with the resulting situation rapidly outpacing the capacity of governments to contain it”.

Even as South-East Asian governments have stepped up crackdowns in recent months on scam compounds along shared land borders, the industrial-scale operations have simply adapted by moving to more remote locations within or beyond the region, or pivoting to online platforms. 

“Another adaptation that has been noted across the region is the shift from land-based Internet connection to Starlink,” the report stated, referring to Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider.

That’s sometimes the result of operators moving to locations without online access or due to governments shutting down illegal cross-border connections, it added.

The UN agency estimated that countries in East and South-East Asia lost up to US$37bil to cyber fraud in 2023.

It said US authorities reported billions of dollars of losses the same year from crypto-related scams and “pig butchering” schemes, in which fraudsters gain the confidence of victims.

Crime syndicates in South-East Asia are also actively enhancing collaboration with other major criminal networks around the world, including South American drug cartels, the Italian mafia, and the Irish mob, according to the UN.

It cited the example of a network with Chinese links that helped Mexican drug cartels launder money and then resell those foreign currencies to overseas buyers within underground banking markets.

To scale the operations, the criminals also need hundreds of thousands of trafficked victims and complicit individuals to work in the scam compounds.

People from as many as 56 origin countries have been identified as victims in the UN report, with the majority constituting Asian and African nations.  — Bloomberg

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

https://www.unodc.org

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

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Rm9bil lost to scams in 10 years

 

Over 200,000 online cases recorded with figures rising

Portal Semak Mule 2.0 bantu rakyat kesan identiti syarikat ..

Semak Mule - PDRM   

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 200,000 online scam cases have been recorded in the last 10 years, resulting in almost Rm9bil in losses.

And there could be many more cases that go unreported.

The number of cases has also been increasing every year. In 2014, there were 6,309 cases but last year, the number rose to 35,368, according to Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) statistics.

“More and more victims are being duped by a myriad number of scams used by syndicates. This year alone, we have already recorded 10,218 cases as of March 16,” the police said.

In terms of losses, the amount was Rm8.53bil since 2014, with the highest losses recorded in 2023 (Rm1.21bil) and 2024 (Rm1.57bil).

This year, as of March 16, Rm490mil in losses had already been recorded.

Investment scams have been the most prevalent in the last 10 years, accumulating significant losses, especially in the last two years.

In 2014, the losses in such scams were Rm53.4mil, rising to Rm245.05mil in 2021 and Rm219.83mil in 2022.

In 2023 and 2024, though, losses spiked to Rm472.15mil and Rm848.62mil respectively.

“This year, Rm301.8mil has been lost to investment scams, the highest number compared with other scams. However, in terms of the number of cases, telecommunication scams were the highest this year, with 4,509 cases.

“Others are online purchase scams (2,118 cases), investment scams (1,652) and loan scams (1,159),” the police said.

The public is advised to make use of the Semakmule 2.0 portal.

The portal has received 33.4 million visitors since it was established in 2020 and the people are encouraged to use the facility to check the list of mule bank accounts, telephone numbers and shell firms used by scammers.

“Initially, the police set out to list phone numbers and mule bank accounts, but have since improved the portal to include the names of shell companies.

“Visitors to the site are able to do searches on companies that might be used in commercial crimes, including investment scams. The portal has listed more than 107 companies so far,” the police said.

As of Jan 21, a total of 238,006 bank accounts and 191,960 phone numbers have been listed on Semakmule.

Another avenue that can be used is the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC).

The public can report scams by calling the 997 hotline and make enquiries too.

- by By FARIK ZOLKEPLI farik@thestar.com.my 22 Mar 2025

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