Selangor, Kuala Lumpur Lead Malaysia in RM1.77 Billion Online Scam Losses

Online scam crimes continue to inflict significant financial damage across Malaysia, with Selangor and Kuala Lumpur bearing the brunt of the losses. These two regions alone recorded a staggering RM1.77 billion in damages from online fraud throughout the past year, maintaining their position as the most heavily affected areas for three consecutive years.

Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail reported that losses in Selangor more than doubled, rising from RM446.16 million in 2024 to RM986.79 million in 2025. Kuala Lumpur also saw a substantial increase, with losses climbing from RM293.30 million to RM782.86 million in the same period. Other economically active states like Johor, Penang, and Perak also experienced notable increases in scam-related losses.

Nationally, the trend is equally alarming. Total losses from online scams escalated from RM1.57 billion in 2024 to RM2.97 billion in 2025. For the first five months of 2026 alone, losses have already reached RM830 million, indicating a continued upward trajectory.

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Selangor and Kuala Lumpur continue to be the most severely affected areas by online fraud crimes, recording total losses of RM1.77 billion throughout last year.

The "non-existent investment" scam category remains the most damaging, accounting for RM848.62 million in losses in 2024 and RM1.46 billion in 2025. "Telecommunication crimes" followed, with losses rising to RM802.47 million in 2025, while "love scams" consistently recorded the lowest losses among the major categories, though still significant.

In response, the government is strengthening the National Scam Response Center (NSRC), a one-stop center for reporting online scams and taking immediate action to freeze accounts and block suspicious transactions. Since its establishment in 2022, NSRC has successfully seized RM32.49 million in scam-related funds, with RM10.9 million returned to victims through legal processes.

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National losses from online fraud crimes show a worrying increase, soaring from RM1.57 billion in 2024 to RM2.97 billion in 2025.