Be mindful of unknown calls posing as MCMC, public reminded

KUCHING (Jan 27): Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has reminded the public to be mindful of calls made by unknown individuals posing as MCMC officials.

Such modus operandi by certain quarters aims to deceive victims for a specific purpose, it said in a statement.

According to MCMC, the caller will threaten the victim by stating that there was a complaint against the victim’s line and that the victim was at fault. If the victim fails to follow the instructions given, the caller says, the line will be blocked or blacklisted.

“MCMC received 259 complaints between Jan 1 and 25. Of those complaints, 238 calls were received to confirm the issue concerned.

“Any announcement or notification regarding a matter related to MCMC is usually done through official channels, which include email, websites, and social media platforms owned by MCMC,” it explained.

MCMC pointed out that no authority, itself included, will ask for an individual’s personal banking details and information. It, thus, advised the public to remain vigilant and get proper confirmation.

“Never disclose personal information to unknown individuals, and do not transfer money to any doubtful account.

“Members of the public are also advised to set up restriction settings (block call/reject list), or get software or applications to block incoming calls or SMS to their phone line,” said MCMC.

The commission also encouraged the public to channel information and submit complaints about fraud to the police or the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) on Hotline 997, which operates from 8am to 8pm, for further action.