KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24, 2026 — DAP Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng has called for comprehensive government enforcement measures to tackle the growing incidence of digital fraud, cyber theft and scams in Malaysia, while urging authorities to speed up efforts to recover victims’ stolen funds.

Lim said elected representatives had received numerous complaints involving scams not only from Penang but across the country, with victims losing their life savings and suffering significant financial hardship.

He said the scale of the problem had grown beyond the capacity of individual lawmakers and should be treated as a national crime wave affecting Malaysians regardless of race, religion or background.

According to Lim, victims included professionals such as accountants, bankers, engineers, doctors, senior government officers and lawyers, demonstrating that no particular group was immune to such crimes.

He said relying solely on the police or the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) was insufficient, as both agencies could not tackle the problem independently and required greater resources, expertise and coordination.

Lim proposed a government-wide approach involving relevant government departments, with Bank Negara Malaysia taking a leading role because of the banking sector’s position in transactions between scammers and victims.

He also highlighted figures which he said showed that only RM6.7 million had been recovered from RM2.97 billion in reported scam losses in 2025.

Lim suggested that banks should strengthen mechanisms to temporarily suspend accounts showing suspicious large-value withdrawals, arguing that faster intervention could help prevent further losses.

“Bank Negara Malaysia should be at the forefront of this comprehensive government effort to curb the rise in such crimes and protect the life savings of ordinary Malaysians,” he said in a statement.

Lim stressed that stronger enforcement and faster fund-recovery mechanisms were needed to address digital fraud, cyber theft and scams nationwide.