KUCHING: Digital scam cases involving daily necessities such as food and household goods are on the rise, with fraud syndicates increasingly exploiting the cost-of-living issue to deceive the public.
The Sarawak National Consumer Action Council (MTPN) said in a statement yesterday (June 27) that the best way for the public to protect themselves is by understanding consumer rights, the law, and utilise the assistance channels already being provided by the government.
MTPN Sarawak chairman Lucas Lau said “As a pro-government council, MTPN Sarawak sees the main problem now is not that we lack laws.
“The problem is that many members of the public still don’t know about the protective facilities that are available.”
He said the ministry has provided the Ez ADU app and the e-KPDN system to make it easier for the public to lodge complaints, urging the community to channel scam information officially to the authorities instead of merely circulating it on social media.
“In line with the principle of ‘Our Voice, Our Power’, our duty as a community is to help channel this scam information officially to the authorities, not just spread it on social media without a valid report,” he said.
According to official government data from January to date for 2026, losses from online scams nationwide have reached RM830 million, with cases in Sarawak and Sabah continuing to rise.
Lau said key assistance available includes the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) hotline at 997, which works to freeze victims’ money before scammers can withdraw it within the first 24 hours, as well as the Malaysian Consumer Claims Tribunal (TTPM) under KPDN, which can handle e-commerce fraud cases worth up to RM50,000 without requiring legal representation.
He also advised the public not to rush into online purchase decisions due to economic pressure, and instead practise layered verification by using facilities such as SSM BizTrust and the PDRM Semak Mule portal to check suspicious bank account numbers or phone numbers before making any financial transactions.
MTPN Sarawak said it stands ready to work with any government agency on awareness programmes, and invited members of the public needing help with complaints to reach out via its official Facebook page at Majlis Tindakan Pengguna Negara – MTPN Sarawak.
