Kuala Lumpur, Sunday, 30 October 2022 – The banking industry, as represented by The Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM), Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM) and The Association of Development Finance Institutions Malaysia (ADFIM), has today launched the National Scam Awareness Campaign.   The launch was officiated by Dato’ Marzunisham Omar, Deputy Governor, Bank Negara Malaysia, Dato’ Khairussaleh Ramli, Chairman of ABM, Encik Mohd Muazzam Mohamed, President of AIBIM and Encik Jay Khairil Jeremy Abdullah, Vice Chairman of ADFIM.

As part of the campaign, the banking industry has created a logo to help members of the public remember 3 simple steps, also known as the 3-second rule, i.e. STOP, THINK, BLOCK (or AWAS. FIKIR. BLOK in Bahasa Malaysia), when they receive any calls, messages or emails from unknown parties.  Together with the tagline “Ingat 3 Saat OK” and the hashtag #JanganKenaScam, the banking industry urges everyone to remember the 3-second rule to keep safe and not fall victim to scams.

This National Scam Awareness Campaign, which will be rolled out in November, is a continuation of the banking industry’s efforts to combat scams as well as to educate consumers regarding scams while sharing easy tips to stay safe online.  The Campaign complements the 5 key measures to be implemented by the banks to combat financial scams as stated in our press release dated 27 September 2022.

 All parties (including banks, enforcement agencies, and the public) must play their part to fight scams.  The logo and hashtag will be carried by all banks towards a cohesive and targeted nationwide campaign to ensure the public are continuously informed and equipped with the necessary information and awareness on the different types of modus operandi employed by scammers and best practices to keep themselves safe online, which will make it harder for scammers to succeed in luring victims.

In the unfortunate event someone falls victim to a scam, they should immediately contact their bank and make a police report to facilitate the investigation.  A list of ABM member banks’ contact numbers for reporting a scam/fraud can be obtained from ABM’s website, https://www.abm.org.my/directory. 

The public may refer to the individual banks’ websites, social media pages, ABM’s website (https://www.abm.org.my/consumer-information/safe-online-banking) and Instagram page (@abm.org.my), AIBIM’s website (www.aibim.com) and social media (@_aibim), as well as Bank Negara Malaysia’s Amaran Scam Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/amaranpenipuan) for updates on the latest scam tactics and important cyber hygiene practices to protect themselves against scams.