Malaysians lose $201M to online scams in 5 months

Some RM830 million (US$201.7 million) has been lost to online fraud in Malaysia in the first five months of this year, according to the country's Ministry of Home Affairs.

A person holds a credit card in front of a computer

This follows a surge in scam losses from RM1.57 billion in 2024 to RM2.97 billion last year, the ministry said on Wednesday.

Non-existent investment scams have consistently resulted in the highest losses, rising from RM848.62 million in 2024 to RM1.46 billion in 2025 and amounting to RM361.63 million so far this year, it noted.

Telecommunications scams followed, with losses of RM497.12 million in 2024, RM802.47 million in 2025, and RM235.63 million as of May.

Losses caused by love scams were RM45.87 million in 2024, RM47.44 million in 2025 and RM17.76 million this year.

The home ministry reiterated its commitment to combating online crime by strengthening the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC), which operates 24 hours a day and takes swift action to freeze bank accounts and impose transaction restrictions.

Since its establishment in 2022, the center has successfully frozen RM32.49 million in scam-related funds, about a third of which has been returned to victims.

From January to May, RM7.25 million was frozen, with 49% already returned to victims.

The increase in percentage of funds returned shows that the center is becoming more effective and gaining greater public trust, the ministry said.