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Sarawak DAP chief turns to deputy finance minister to help scam victims get their money back

Malay Mail
Malay Mail

KUCHING, Jan 31 — Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen is seeking the aid of the federal Deputy Finance Minister II Steven Sim Chee Keong to help 10 people who lost their money to fraudsters through unauthorised transfers from their bank accounts and credit card transactions. He said the 10 victims have all filed reports with the police, but have not received feedback on what action will be taken to get their money back.

He added that the victims have also filed their claims with the banks but all were rejected.

Chong, who is also Stampin MP, urged Sim to intervene for a more thorough investigation to be carried out on the money trail that will result in the capture of the fraudsters and the recovery of the victim’s money.

He hopes the federal Finance Ministry can adopt policies to accord greater protection to depositors rather than banks. “In a way, such policies will compel the banks to improve on their internet banking security systems,” he said in a statement today.

Chong said in all these fraudulent bank transfer transactions, there is invariably a recipient bank account holder. He said the recipient bank has the information of the depositors and the money fraudulently transferred can be traced and retrieved.

Chong claimed that at present, most banks are holding a “couldn’t care less” approach, as if the fraud conducted by its account holders have nothing to do with them.

“Such an approach has hampered the effort of the victims to recover their money,” he added, stating that the unauthorised transfers of money from one’s account to another is a crime of stealing.

“By allowing its customer to have a bank account to facilitate such stealing, the bank is actually an accomplice to the crime.

“As such, only when Bank Negara Malaysia and the Ministry of Finance take a serious stand on this matter will banks in Malaysia make a concerted effort to combat these bank scams seriously,” he said.