SHAH ALAM, June 10 — A total of 68 staff from 14 banks successfully blocked fraudulent transactions and suspicious financial activities worth over RM139 million last year, preventing customers from falling victim to scams.
Harian Metro reported that in recognition of their swift action and vigilance in detecting suspicious transactions and foiling scam attempts, they were honoured at the #JanganKenaScam Bank Heroes Recognition 2026 event today.
Among the employees recognised were personnel from Agrobank, Alliance Bank, AmBank, Bank of China, Bank Islam, Bank Muamalat, Bank Simpanan Nasional, CIMB, HSBC, Maybank, OCBC, Public Bank, RHB, and UOB.
The programme, now in its second year, is part of the #JanganKenaScam campaign launched in 2023 by the Association of Banks in Malaysia and the Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia, in collaboration with the Royal Malaysia Police.
National Task Force to Combat Fraud chairman Syed Ahmad Taufik Albar said the swift action and vigilance of bank employees play a crucial role in detecting suspicious activities and preventing fraudulent transactions before larger losses occur.
“The value of prevented fraudulent transactions increased threefold to RM1.19 billion in 2025 compared to the previous year, reflecting the banking industry's continuous commitment to curb increasingly sophisticated scams,” he said.
Continuous efforts by financial institutions to strengthen customer protection systems also contributed to a 46 per cent increase in the number of blocked fraudulent transaction attempts in 2025 compared to 2024.
Taufik, who is also Maybank’s Community Financial Services group chief executive officer, said the banking industry now faces more complex challenges as scam syndicates use various new tactics, including identity impersonation, fake calls, and increasingly convincing messages to deceive victims.
Meanwhile, Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said scam-related crimes are no longer ordinary offences, as syndicates now operate in a coordinated manner using the latest technology and psychological manipulation techniques.
“Behind the RM139 million that was successfully saved are retirement savings, children's education funds, business capital, and proceeds from company sales collected over many years by Malaysians.
“If it were not for the swift action of these staff, that money might have become part of the scam-related loss statistics,” he said.
Rusdi added that losses from online scams in the country have reached RM2.9 billion, with approximately RM1.5 billion involving non-existent investment scams.
He urged the public to take precautions before making financial transactions and utilise the Semak Mule platform to check for suspicious numbers and bank accounts.
“Based on police experience, many online scam victims do not perform a check through Semak Mule before making a transaction. When their money is gone, and they realise they have been scammed, only then do they file a police report,” Rusdi said.
