Activating interactive scam awareness outreach programmes across the country and an anti-scam resource centre to educate Malaysians of all ages

Kuala Lumpur, 3 October 2023 — Banks under the ambit of The Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) and Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM), today have collectively launched its refreshed #JanganKenaScam awareness campaign. The national scam awareness campaign underscores the banking industry’s commitment to combat financial scams in fostering unity and strengthening its efforts to prevent fraudulent banking activities, and drive forward a singular messaging on scam.

To halt the uptrend of financial scams in the country, the campaign will be launched at a greater scale than before, to raise public awareness with a nationwide roll-out of the #JanganKenaScam Fest in urban and suburban areas, featuring experiential booths and informational exhibitions to equip Malaysians with practical anti-scam knowledge so that they can easily identify scam tactics, and protect themselves and their loved ones.

“While security and technology measures are important, public awareness remains our strongest defence. Indeed, educating the public against scams is an ongoing effort that must go on. I commend the private sector’s work in coordinating industry-wide anti-scam strategies through its industry taskforce. Such industry-led initiatives are testament to the private sector’s high level of commitment,” said Datuk Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, Governor, Bank Negara Malaysia in his opening address at the launch of the campaign.

Earlier this year, the banking industry banded together to implement several key security measures to fight scams, such as migrating from SMS One-Time-Password (OTP), tightening of fraud detection rules, imposing cooling-off period for first-time online banking registration, restricting secure authentication to a single device, and setting up dedicated fraud hotlines for customers.

According to an industry survey on scam awareness for bank customers conducted by Rakuten Insights from June to July 2023, nine out of 10 customers read scam alerts, making them up-to-date on the latest scam tactics, however only close to 60% feel prepared to fight financial scams.

“To fight scammers, we first need to learn their language. We hope that the experiential aspect of the #JanganKenaScam campaign, coupled with the introduction of the anti-scam resource centre at www.JanganKenaScam.com, can provide the public with an avenue that enables them to understand the manipulation techniques used by scammers in financial scams. We encourage the public to take up this fight with us so we can defeat scammers together. Customers should remain alert at all times, and not share their banking information with anyone,” said ABM Chairman Dato’ Khairussaleh Ramli.

“The survey further revealed that close to 80% of customers believe victims inadvertently revealed their banking credentials in scams. This further underlines the importance of this collective effort by the banking industry and other stakeholders such as Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) just to name a few, to make the #JanganKenaScam campaign bigger than before so we can empower the public with the knowledge and tools they need to protect themselves from evolving threats. Together, we can create an even safer and more secure banking environment,” added Dato’ Khairussaleh.

AIBIM President, Dato’ Mohd Muazzam Mohamed, said, “We remain steadfast in our commitment to protect the financial well-being of our community. The refreshed #JanganKenaScam campaign is a significant part of our efforts to raise awareness and fight against scams. We will continue to promote scam awareness campaigns to educate individuals and equip them with the necessary knowledge and tools to protect their online financial transactions.”

The launch was followed by an interactive media briefing and panel discussion centred on the theme ‘Enhancing Digital Fraud Literacy to Continue Fostering a Secure Online Environment for Malaysians’ took place, to provide valuable insights into the latest scam tactics which enables the public to identify any potential red flags.

Meanwhile, notable Malaysian celebrity and entrepreneur Hairul Azreen has taken up the mantle to battle scams, as the official brand ambassador of the #JanganKenaScam campaign. In his role, Hairul will be an advocate for public awareness against scams and join the #JanganKenaScam Fest to encourage more Malaysians to take up an active fight against scams.

As a prominent figure with a strong social media presence, Hairul can connect effectively and resonate with Malaysians of all ages. His endorsement of the campaign will undoubtedly amplify the banking industry’s efforts to disseminate crucial information, encourage vigilance, and foster a safer digital environment for all Malaysians.

The public will also have an opportunity to experience the #JanganKenaScam Fest at various locations nationwide, starting with the Minggu Saham Amanah Malaysia (MSAM) in Bertam, Penang from now until 8 October 2023 and coming soon in 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya from 15 to 19 November 2023. Joining in is brand ambassador Hairul Azreen, who will feature in selected legs of the #JanganKenaScam Fest.

For more information on the #JanganKenaScam campaign and tips on how to combat scams, the public can visit www.JanganKenaScam.com.