INTERNET FRAUD

In this sophisticated and modern age, various facilities have been created and developed to help make our daily affairs easier. Among them, sales that used to be done face-to-face between buyers and sellers has now changed to online sales using the internet. Scammers or cyber fraudsters issues have become a hot topic among netizens lately. Many online scams are reported such as Macau Scam, loan and investment scams, Love Scam and even mule account activities. Find illegal money by selling thousands of types of imported products, gadgets, food and daily necessities that do not exist on online (e-commerce) buying and selling sites. It turns out that the habit of shopping through e-commerce since Covid-19 hit gave birth to many ‘cyber toyols’ or scammers who take the opportunity to deceive tens of thousands of victims across the country.

Cases of e-commerce fraud were detected to increase sharply, especially when the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) caused people to be restricted in their movement and switch to making purchases or sales online. Although most cases of e-commerce scams do not involve large losses, many victims are easily fooled by just product pictures and testimonials of how good the product is for sale. This is not surprising because fraudsters are attracted by the easy process of visa application, bank account opening and money transfer in our country.

Victims are usually blinded by the cheap price of products offered through advertisements on social media, causes them to be trapped. This is one of the main reasons that drive them to become victims of e-commerce fraud. However, there are irresponsible parties who use the platform to cheat. Online job fraud always happen. Very good salaries, the concept of working from home, and various other baits are used to trap you. Some fake employers masquerading as recruiters from reputable companies will require you to deposit a sum of money as a refundable processing fee in order to secure your job opportunity. After that, of course they will run away with your money without leaving a trace.

Phishing is a fraudulent attempt to steal personal information such as your bank account username and password. Fraudsters usually send emails that look legitimate, and will inform the recipient to update their information to improve their subscription experience. After clicking on the link, you will be redirected to a fake website that looks identical to the original banking website.

Here are the steps to prevent ourselves from becoming a victim of internet fraud:

  • Check and investigate the validity first
  • Get advice from qualified people
  • Always be alert and cautious
  • Do not panic and act quickly if you become a victim

Checks can also be done online by contacting the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK) information line as well as through the Cyber Crime Alert RMT Facebook page. This step is taken to make it easier for people to check the information of cyber fraudsters before making any transactions. Anyone can be a victim and it is important to we know that the authorities do not deal through phone calls as scammers do.

We should be more careful not to give personal information to unknown individuals. It is important to prevent us from becoming victims of this immoral activity. If you receive anything suspicious, use your discretion and don’t forget to investigate when in doubt. Stay safe and don’t become another addition to the fraud case statistics.s