KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 8,011 cases of phone fraud were recorded from 2021 to 2023, causing losses of RM440.9 million, says Comm Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf.

The director of the Bukit Aman Economic Crimes Investigation Department (CCID) said 448 cases involved fraudsters posing as Pos Laju employees, causing losses of RM27.1 million.

He said from January to July this year (2024), a total of 1,411 phone scams involving losses of RM64.4 million were investigated.

“In 87 cases, fraudsters posed as Pos Laju employees and caused losses of RM2.9 million.

“The statistics show that we need to take phone or parcel fraud very seriously,” he said on Monday (12 August) in his speech at the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Pos Malaysia and Whoscall, an anti-fraud application operated by Gogolook under the #ScamFreeMalaysia initiative.

Comm Ramli said it was important for Malaysians to be cautious and protect themselves in today’s highly volatile cyber environment.

The MOU, signed by Manwoo Joo, Chief Operating Officer of Gogolook, and Zaini Yahman, Head of Operations of Pos Malaysia, stipulates that all Pos Malaysia operational numbers, including those used by couriers and postmen, will be listed as “verified numbers”.

Whoscall users can check if calls and SMS are from Pos Malaysia.

The MOU also describes an official partnership between Pos Malaysia and Whoscall to launch an awareness campaign against parcel fraud.

Pos Malaysia’s Zaini said the collaboration will enable the national postal and parcel service provider to register over 6,600 of the phone numbers used by its teams, eliminating uncertainty and building customer confidence.

“By proactively tackling the problem of parcel fraud, we are not only protecting our customers but also strengthening our reputation as a safe and reliable service provider,” he said in his speech.

For more information about the #ScamFreeMalaysia parcel scam awareness campaign, visit Whoscall’s social media accounts on Facebook and TikTok.