SHAH ALAM, June 24 — Selangor remained the state with the highest losses from online scam crimes nationwide for the third consecutive year, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Losses in Selangor nearly doubled from RM446.16 million in 2024 to RM986.79 million in 2025.
Kuala Lumpur remained second, with recorded losses of RM782.86 million in 2025, up from RM293.30 million the previous year.
“Other economically significant states such as Johor, Penang, and Perak also recorded substantial year-on-year increases in projected losses between 2024 and 2025.
“Meanwhile, Sabah and Sarawak exhibited similar loss trends, with losses in both states exceeding RM110 million in 2025,” he said in a written Parliamentary reply yesterday.
Saifuddin was responding to Beluran MP Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee’s query on trends in online scam losses over the past three years, recovery rates, and measures taken to improve the tracing, freezing, and return of stolen money.
Nationwide, losses from online scams surged from RM1.57 billion in 2024 to RM2.97 billion in 2025, with RM830 million recorded in the first five months of 2026.
"Non-existent investment scams have consistently recorded the highest losses, with losses rising from RM848.62 million in 2024 to RM1.46 billion in 2025, before reaching RM361.63 million between January and May this year,” he said.
Telecommunication-related scams recorded the second-highest losses, with RM497.12 million in 2024, RM802.47 million in 2025, and RM235.63 million in the first five months of 2026.
"The love scam category continues to record the lowest losses compared to other modus operandi, with RM45.87 million in 2024, RM47.44 million in 2025, and RM17.76 million so far this year,” Saifuddin said.
He added that the ministry remains committed to combating online scams by strengthening the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC), which operates round the clock to facilitate rapid action, including freezing bank accounts and blocking suspicious transactions.
Since its establishment in 2022, the NSRC has successfully seized RM32.49 million linked to scam cases, with RM10.9 million returned to victims through existing legal procedures.
For the January-May 2026 period, RM7.25 million was seized, with RM3.57 million (49 per cent) successfully returned to victims.
