Rising cybercrime in Sarawak

KUCHING: Sarawak is witnessing a surge in cybercrime with a total of 1,901 online crime cases reported in the first 11 months of this year.

Citing statistics from the Commercial Crime Investigation Department of the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) Sarawak Contingent, Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) general manager Datuk Dr Anderson Tiong said the figure indicated a significant increase from the 1,601 cases recorded during the same period in 2022.

“For this year, a total of 552 cases involves e-commerce crimes, non-existent loans (299), phone scams (252), love scams (51), impersonation (86), e-finance (136), non-existent investments (252) and job offers (273).

“These data are not something we are proud of because we have a great responsibility to curb this cybercrime,” he said.

He said this before flagging off SMA’s inaugural Cyber Security Run held at Padang Merdeka this morning (Dec 9).

Tiong stressed that cyber crime can be avoided when individuals protect their personal data.

“This means, do not share any of your information such as identification (ID) card number, bank account number and so on to third parties.

“It should be noted that authorities such as the PDRM, the Customs Department and the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) who are often targeted by cybercriminals to intimidate victims never deal with you only through phone calls,” he pointed out.

He also reminded the people to contact relevant government agencies for more accurate information when in doubt.

“Cybercrime is rapidly growing, making cybersecurity not just an option but a necessity. It extends beyond data and information protection to encompass infrastructure, transportation systems, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, finance, and societal aspects.

“Education is essential for both end-users and the industry. Fostering a safety- conscious approach will help reduce risks at an early stage.

“However, cyberattacks will continue to occur, and it is crucial to be well-prepared to minimise risks to the entire system,” he said.

As such, he said the Sarawak Government is expediting the implementation of the Cyber Security Framework through the Cyber Security Unit, focusing on effective governance, policy, compliance, research, innovation, technology, capacity-building, and collaboration.

“In the future, we at SMA will establish a Cyber Security Unit to protect public data and avoid the spread of cybercrime in Sarawak as much as possible,” said Tiong.