CCID director Ramli Yoosuf said that many industries, including banks, use telemarketing services to promote their products and services.

However, he said there was now a public stigma against unknown numbers due to scammers’ use of phone calls as part of their modus operandi in online fraud cases.

“I suggest that these industries change their promotional methods instead of trying to change consumer behaviour,” Ramli told a press conference here today.

“Given the dichotomy, it’s the sellers who should adapt, not the buyers or consumers.”

Ramli added that the police would continue reminding the public not to entertain calls from unknown numbers to mitigate the risk of falling victim to scams.

“I believe this has made it somewhat difficult for banking institutions to communicate with their customers regarding related transactions,” he said.

On April 6, Ramli suggested that banks alter the authentication methods used by their customer service agents when interacting with clients, as these currently bear similarities to those employed by scammers.

Ramli also said that a total of 8,913 commercial crime cases had been recorded from Jan 1 to April 14, resulting in losses amounting to RM835,094,925.91.

This was an 11% decrease in cases compared to the same period last year, which saw 10,010 cases with losses totalling RM504,434,199.22.

However, Ramli said the value of losses had surged by 66%.