GEORGE TOWN – A criminologist has called for sterner punitive laws to check rising cybercrime after three women here collectively lost up to RM1.7 million.

Datuk P. Sundramoorthy said that the severity of such crimes is now more evident than ever as online scams have now dislodged the narcotics trade as among the top global crimes.

Data from various law enforcement agencies have disclosed that online fraud has now replaced narcotics, having recorded more victims than those addicted to drugs, he said.

“It is time to re-look the laws on fighting cybercrime. We need to have an integrated mechanism to check the sophisticated nature of the issue,” said Sundramoorthy, who is an associate professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia, in an interview.

Nearly 70% of white-collar crimes are now reportedly classified as online scams, with losses of around RM2.23 billion from 2019 until June last year.

The cases are forecast to increase further in tandem with internet penetration rate growth unless there are new strategies to counter the trend, he said.

While ruling out death sentences, Sundramoorthy said that there is a need to intensify prison terms and whipping as a deterrent. He said there is also a need to empower the authorities to act faster and more efficiently in freezing bank accounts of alleged scammers.

There is also a need to discourage the use of digital currency, as it can easily be manipulated and hijacked by scammers, while online security must be upgraded, he added.

“It must also be accompanied by growing public awareness over cybercrime, and training more online forensic sleuths to counter the threat,” Sundramoorthy said.

The most frequent cybercrimes are phishing scams, website spoofing, ransomware, malware, and hacking of internet-of-things devices.

In Malaysia, the majority of the victims are now tricked via Macau Scam techniques involving fraudulent phone calls and offers of non-existent jobs regionally.

As an example, Penang police chief Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain recently shared how a university graduate lost RM20,000 after he gave up the sum to secure a fake job offer, and an engineer lost RM2.9 million after falling prey to a Macau Scam.

Sundramoorthy said that the youth must also be inculcated with a moral stand to eschew working in cybercrime as many have begun to accept it as a job.

He also disclosed that the young are now more willing to loan out their ATM cards and bank accounts to scammers as a front for money laundering or scams.

The criminologist urged the public to understand that banks need time and evidence to freeze accounts, and so it is important to prevent rather than be caught up in scams.

He also called for special courses tailored to educate senior citizens on cybercrime. 

Tackling rape of minors, juvenile delinquency

On another matter, Sundramoorthy said that it is now time to introduce sex education for those aged nine and above to check the rise of rape among minors.

Referring to the statistics shared by Shuhaily, Sundramoorthy said that the youth’s moral values are now unhinged by the rise of social media and easy access to negative content.

In data revealed by Shuhaily in a recent seminar on teenage crime, there were 96 cases of rape, mostly involving minors, from July to November last year.

The majority of the suspects were known to the victims. “Police have arrested 77 juveniles and the trend is worrying,” he had said.

Shuhaily revealed that juvenile delinquency was also on the rise with 1,251 detained in that same period.

Those detained were aged between 10 and 19, while 86% were males.

Sundramoorthy said that there is a need to curb access to online pornography, although it cannot be totally eradicated.

Based on the police arrest data, the more effective approach is to offer sex education in primary and secondary schools, he added.

“Cooperation from the guardians is also crucial in reducing rapes among minors,” he stressed. – The Vibes, February 2, 2022

This article first appeared on The Vibes.