Beware Of Scammers Pretending To Be National Scam Response Centre Officers

The Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) and the Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM) has warned everyone to stay vigilant against scammers pretending to be National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) officers.

Both associations released a press release together that stated that cases of scams where these scammers were impersonating (NSRC) officers were increasing in number, especially recently.

In these scam scenarios, the scammer will pose as a NSRC officer in an attempt to scare unsuspecting victims by alleging that their personal information, such as National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) number or mobile number, is linked to illegal or fraudulent activities.

How the NSRC Scam works

Here’s how the scam works;

• The scammer will call the victim pretending to be an NSRC officer.
• The scammer would then falsely claim that the victim’s identity or personal information have been used in criminal activities.
• The scammer will then use lengthy questioning tactics to mimic a real investigation, in order to lend themselves a sense of legitimacy. In some cases, this will involve repeated phone calls over a certain period of time.
• After getting the victim’s trust, the scammer will ask the victim to leave their debit/ATM card at an agreed location. The scammer will then use the victim’s bank cards to make unauthorised transactions.

ABM and AIBIM stated that bank customers are urged to immediately hang up if they receive calls from individuals claiming to be NSRC officers, as NSRC only receives calls from the public and does not make any outbound calls to individuals.

 

Basic tips to defend against scammers

In the press release, they also reminded banking customers that official bank agents will never ask them for their sensitive information such as : 

• Credit/ debit card number and card verification value (CVV) number 
• Online banking username and password
• SMS OTP/ TAC numbers

ABM and AIBIM also gave some tips to help the public defend themselves against various types of scams such as:

• Never click on hyperlinks from unknown numbers
• Never download any apps from links, especially on messaging apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp. Only download apps from official app stores such as Apple App Store and Google PlayStore
• Never share your banking username and password with anyone, including friends and family members
• Never entertain phone calls or messages from unknown mobile phone numbers