{
  "id": 6295595,
  "title": "NST Leader: Scammers are evolving, the law must keep up",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/nst-leader-scammers-are-evolving-the-law-must-keep-up",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-08T15:30:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/leaders/2026/09/1528600/nst-leader-scammers-are-evolving-law-must-keep"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Malaysians are advised not to answer calls from unfamiliar numbers, especially those with foreign country codes. Despite this advice, vulnerable individuals sometimes fall for scams that employ psychological manipulation, charm, and voice manipulation to trick victims into providing sensitive information or money. Last year, 28,388 phone scams were reported, leading to losses of RM440 million, with an average loss of RM4,844.70 per victim. Scammers often vanish before the victims realize they've been defrauded. While 66,204 cyber fraud cases were recorded nationwide, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Khalid Ismail claims that existing laws are unable to keep up with the evolving tactics of scammers. The Computer Crimes Act 1997, designed to combat cyber crimes, is insufficient in addressing current sophisticated scam techniques like AI-generated voices, deepfakes, and social engineering. The IGP emphasizes the need for updated laws that align with modern technology. Corporal punishment, longer prison sentences, heavier fines, and asset seizures may be necessary to dissuade scammers, according to the National Scam Response Centre. The center receives 500 to 600 complaints daily, highlighting the urgency for more effective enforcement strategies.",
  "summary": "THERE is an unwritten rule that sensible Malaysians live by when they receive calls on their smartphones. If the call is from an unknown number, especially with a foreign country code, the receiver would ignore or summarily reject it.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}