KOTA BARU: Kelantan recorded 1,359 commercial crime cases with losses of RM19 million between January and September, a year-on-year increase of over 100 per cent.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said the surge in commercial crime cases compared with 2025 highlights the growing threat of online fraud.
He said the trend is driven by the widespread use of digital devices and platforms, which scammers exploit through various tactics.
"The criminals manipulate human emotions, including fear through phone scams, greed through online purchases and investment scams, and love through romance scams," he said.
Yusoff said this at a town hall discussion titled "Combating Commercial Crime: A Shared Responsibility" yesterday evening.
He noted that online purchase scams topped the list with 674 cases recorded during the nine months.
"Victims aged between 31 and 40 formed the largest group, involving 490 people, while men accounted for the highest number of victims at 820," he said.
Highlighting a phone scam in August involving a female civil servant, Yusoff said the victim lost RM1.197 million after being deceived by scammers posing as insurance officers and police personnel.
"The victim was falsely accused of making a fraudulent insurance claim worth RM68,800. She was instructed to open a new bank account and register the suspect's telephone number for digital banking services," he said.
"She was also told to transfer all her savings into the newly opened account and sell her jewellery, depositing the proceeds into the same account.
"After four months, the victim realised she had been cheated and lodged a police report. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code."
He added that investigations revealed the suspects had carried out 140 online transactions through the victim's account.
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