Only RM6.7m recovered from RM2.97b scams, Lim Guan Eng demands urgent action

PETALING JAYA, Sept 24 — In a call for urgent action against digital fraud and scams, Lim Guan Eng, the MP for Bagan, implored Bank Negara to lead a comprehensive government crackdown. The MP highlighted the distressing surge in complaints from victims, spanning ordinary citizens to medical professionals, engineers, and lawyers.

Lim described the wave of cybercrime as a national issue, having devastated families and dashed aspirations for a brighter future. He emphasized that relying solely on the police or the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) proved insufficient, as these agencies lacked the capacity to manage the scale of the problem.

Lim stressed that financial institutions, particularly banks, are essential intermediaries that enable digital fraud and theft. He proposed that banks should suspend accounts associated with suspiciously large withdrawals. According to official data, only RM6.7 million has been recovered from the RM2.97 billion reported losses to scams in 2025, a recovery rate described by Lim as both "alarming" and "unacceptable".

He stressed the need for Bank Negara to spearhead a coordinated response involving all relevant government departments to curb the crime wave and safeguard Malaysians' life savings.