He said the figure represented an increase of 81.6% from the corresponding period last year.

Online fraud cases, including love scams and fake investment schemes, accounted for 80% of all reported commercial crime cases during the period in question.

“Statistics from January to September last year recorded more than 47,000 cases with losses amounting to RM2 billion, representing an increase of 94% compared with the same period in the previous year,” Khalid said at the IGP’s monthly assembly at Bukit Aman here today.

He said the government viewed commercial crime as a serious concern and had tasked the police, through its commercial crime investigation department (CCID), with leading the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) which brings together expertise from the police, the National Financial Crime Centre, Bank Negara Malaysia and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

“Since its establishment in 2022 until last September, the NSRC has received more than 266,000 calls,” he said.

Khalid said the CCID remains committed to combating commercial crime, having arrested nearly 21,000 individuals for various offences from January to September this year.

The CCID has also conducted more than 14,000 crime prevention activities, including exhibitions, talks, and strategic collaborations with the media, to raise public awareness about the threat of commercial crime.