Phone scams are evolving
By CHARLES RAMENDRAN
Nation
Monday, 22 Dec 2025

PETALING JAYA: Scam activities targeting Malaysians have evolved into an industrial-scale operation powered by automation rather than being carried out by individuals, say cybersecurity experts.

Certified fraud examiner Raymon Ram said the sheer scale of scam calls and text messages blocked by authorities indicates that the operation involves robo-diallers, scripted call flows and bulk messaging systems, like a production line.

“As such, when attempts run into the billions, even a tiny success rate makes the economics work, which makes scams highly lucrative.

“It also reflects a shift in Malaysia’s defensive measures with telcos and regulators increasingly stopping threats at the network level before they reach users.

“While this has prevented large-scale harm, it also shows Malaysia is a high-value target for regional scam ecosystems,” he said.

Raymon said while network-level blocking is essential to counter high-volume abuse, it is insufficient.

He added syndicates adapt quickly across social media platforms and messaging channels.

“What we also need is a layered model with stronger upstream controls, faster disruption and takedowns, consistent enforcement against facilitators and ­victim-centric rapid response.



“The National Scam Response Centre model matters here because speed in freezing funds, stopping escalation and swift coordination between agencies is what reduces harm after prevention fails,” he said.

He said a large number of scam calls originate from overseas and use voice-over-internet-protocol technology that allows calls to be generated cheaply before making its way here through international gateways.

Raymon said this makes scam operations scalable and adaptable, enabling rapid rotation of numbers and routes when blocks are imposed.

He pointed out a newer risk is voice harvesting where voice clips can be captured and potentially be used for artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled impersonation attempts.

“AI is accelerating the evolution of scams, enabling more polished and localised messages. These realistic voice impersonation create fear among potential victims who need to be constantly vigilant,” Raymon said.

On Friday, the Communications Ministry revealed in Dewan Negara that since January 2022, telecommunication providers had intercepted a staggering 2.3 billion suspected scam calls and 2.5 billion unsolicited SMS messages.

Authorities also terminated nearly 187,000 mobile and fixed lines identified as sources of suspicious messaging activity.

Cybersecurity expert Fong Choong Fook said while there have been fears of “voice harvesting” by scammers through brief and silent phone calls, it was not as simple as uttering one or two words by call recipients.

“This claim made by certain parties has caused undue worry and paranoia among the public.

“It takes at least 10 to 15 seconds of recorded speech for AI to construct a credible imitation. A brief ‘hello’ cannot be used to generate a full conversation,” he said.

Fong warned that scam activities are showing no sign of slowing down and is expected to grow even more sophisticated.

He said the public should be vigilant while authorities must stay a step ahead with enforcement and preventive measures to minimise cases of scams.

Veteran criminologist Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy said AI has added a professional edge to scams by generating context-aware messages mimicking banks, law firms or government agencies while voice-cloning technology lets scammers simulate authoritative or familiar voices.

He said AI-driven data analysis also enables highly personalised attacks using leaked or purchased personal data.

“Automated systems can test thousands of variations, rapidly learning which wording, timing and emotional cues elicit the highest response rates.

“The result is a shift from crude mass attempts to psychologically-tailored scams, making ­detection harder and scam attacks far more convincing,” Sundramoorthy said.

He said recent reports of scammers impersonating law firms with claims of being able to recover funds lost to scams is a way to exploit victims’ vulnerability.

“At this stage, victims are often less guarded as the desire for closure overrides caution. Scammers take advantage of this vulnerability with a false offer to recoup losses,” he added.

Sundramoorthy advised the public to watch for unsolicited calls demanding immediate action, transfers, one-time passwords, unfamiliar applications or threats framed as legal or regulatory consequences.

He said even if messages appear professional or from legitimate authorities or banks, it does not require instant compliance.

“Take note that when urgency replaces verification, it is almost always a scam,” he said.

The Communications Ministry also revealed that many of the phone scams rely on caller ID spoofing where fraudsters mask their true identity to display trusted or recognisable numbers.

Scammers then use psychological tactics to trick victims into revealing personal or confidential information.

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025...ms-are-evolving

Young adults hardest hit by scams
Nation
Monday, 22 Dec 2025

KUALA LUMPUR: Young adults, aged between 21 and 30, formed the majority of victims of telecommunications fraud from January to November this year.

There were 8,789 victims from this age category.

Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) said in a statement shared on its Facebook page yesterday that a total of 28,698 telecommunications crime cases were reported nationwide during the period with losses amounting to RM715mil.

“The 31 to 40 age group recorded the second highest number of victims, totalling 6,825, followed by those aged 41 to 50, involving 4,977 victims,” it said.

Members of the public who fall victim to such crimes are advised to lodge a report with the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997, verify information through the Semak Mule portal and report the incident to the police for further action.

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025...st-hit-by-scams

They need to evolve to achieve KPI

Topkek, as expected, strawberries really bodo. Kononnya grownup in technology era so very tech savvy, can this can that. End up biggest victim from their group also

Ai cant stop scamming?

PM to launch new NSRC office in January To boost fund recovery efforts, says Fahmi
Nation
Monday, 22 Dec 2025
9:14 AM MYT

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to officiate the new National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) office at Tower 2 of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in Cyberjaya next month.

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the establishment of the new office is one of the government’s efforts to strengthen its ability to tackle online scam cases and recover victims’ funds, provided reports are lodged promptly.

"The NSRC, which previously operated from Sasana Kijang, Bank Negara Malaysia, has been relocated to MCMC Tower 2, enabling more efficient and integrated operations,” he told the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) in an exclusive interview recently.

The interview was with Bernama Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Duraj Raj, Acting Deputy Editor-in-Chief of News Services Mohd Shukri Ishak and Executive Editor of Economic News Services M. Saraswathi.

Fahmi said the relocation has enhanced the centre’s ability to respond swiftly, as it now operates around the clock with a larger workforce.

When it was first launched on Oct 12, 2022, the NSRC, reachable via the 997 hotline, received between 300 to 400 calls daily and operated from 8am to 8pm. Since its move to MCMC Tower 2 on Nov 17, the NSRC now receives between 500 to 700 calls daily.

He said the increase reflects the centre’s role as the main channel for the public to obtain immediate assistance to prevent greater financial losses.

Fahmi advised scam victims to contact the NSRC within 30 to 60 minutes after an incident to increase the chances of recovering transferred funds, warning that any delay could complicate recovery efforts.

He said the NSRC, which operates under the purview of the Home Ministry (KDN), will continue to be strengthened to ensure swift action can be taken, particularly in freezing accounts and tracing the flow of funds involved in online scam cases.

He said the centre’s rapid-response capability, including efforts to recover victims’ funds, has been further reinforced through integrated cooperation between the police and commercial banks, whose representatives are now placed at the new operations centre.

He said preliminary analysis shows online scam activities tend to follow certain time patterns, and delays in reporting are a major factor hindering efforts to recover victims’ funds.

"Based on the information and data collected, we may be able to take certain measures, including through cooperation with commercial banks. We have seen that previous actions by banks have had a positive impact, although there may be additional proposals we wish to put forward,” he said.

At the same time, Fahmi emphasised that the government does not differentiate between victims of online scams, whether they were lured by attractive investment offers or deceived through other methods, as all forms of online fraud are crimes under the law.

He said the defining element of a scam is fraud itself, regardless of whether victims believed they could obtain better financial returns, particularly through investment links circulated online.

"I don’t think we differentiate between people who believe they could get a better deal, because what makes it a scam is that it is fraud. It is online fraud. Any online fraud is now a crime,” he said.

He added that the government has amended several laws to ensure the definition of online fraud is clear and that enforcement is carried out regardless of victims’ motivations or perceptions. - Bernama

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025...orts-says-fahmi

Low performers will sell as organ parts.

now this picture on the 1st post is very updated

don't trust the caller ID....because it's spoofed
once that call ended and u added that number into your contact...you'll realized that number doesn't have whatsapp account

don't even answer the call in the 1st place for unknown number

Trader loses RM500,000 to scammers
Nation
Monday, 22 Dec 2025

KUANTAN: A trader lost about RM500,000 after falling victim to a business scam promoted on social media.

Pahang police chief Comm Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the 61-year-old victim was contacted by an individual posing as a representative of an e-commerce platform in August and was given a fake link to register as a seller.

He said the victim was told to bear the upfront costs in return for a 30% commission.

“Using his EPF savings and personal funds, the man made ­several payments exceeding RM500,000.

“He initially received RM8,300 in profits, which convinced him to continue,” Comm Yahaya said in a statement.

When no additional profits were forthcoming and he was asked to put in more money, the trader realised he had been deceived and lodged a police report in Bentong.

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025...000-to-scammers

my fone non stop these scams call crazy

The 2G Downgrade SMS Blaster..........

i noticed alot of these calls recently when i check on truecaller it shows a person name but not like a proper ali bin abu bakar name but like ramlah T like that
then when i click on the whatsapp icon to see his whatsapp profile then it says this number is not on whatsapp

i enabled the screen unknwon caller so i dont even know i got this call until after they hung up
recruiter was pissed at me and scolded me everytime he call he needs to identify himself before i would pick up and he was wondering what service was i using lmao
its just a toggle in iphone but he was still pissed about it

People who like to brag how they trolled the scammers should heed this advice.

If you the salesman, you be easy target.

me never pick up any bodoh call at all, no problem here ! bodoh!

Sometimes I received voice mails fr unknown no... Click to listen or not?

I mean it makes sense cause young pipu are most likely to adopt tech. At least they get their lesson early than old pipu losing their life savings to scams lol

I had that for like a week last month. I opened a bunch no voice. Stupid shit

got one time ingat delivery guy call me.
pikap. manatau indon talking slowly. kimak. terus hang up

Most of the scams should be investment scams. Older people usually kena polis scam.

how is this more complicated to defeat then a reporting mechanism where a scam phone numbers get mass reported and after reaching a certain threshold numbers of reports then that numbers terminated automatically, efficiently? is this even being done?

Actually to avoid scam you just need to do 2 things.

1. Grow a functional brain.
2. refer No 1

pagi baru kena i

they should if they're legit
too much scammers and scam calls these days

just yesterday i received a call...truecaller say "rasid tts" but yeah, i know it's a scam call

don't even accept the call....99% of it are scam

like if you use grab services these days, they don't even call you on your phone, they use the app to call you
bank call...your truecaller will light up the correct name because they use the correct number to call you
some companies even buys private number or ID number...so that when they call you, even without truecaller...it literally say the name of the company on your phone

so if it's an unknown number to you...it's 99% scam call

Nowadays i reject terus, feel like achievement achieved, dun bother to know who was it