Of late, scams are on the rise. According to the police, a whopping RM560.8 million was lost to Macau scams
last year, and until April 19 this year, over RM65.4 million have been lost.

The modus operandi of a Macau scam involves the fraudsters calling their victims while pretending to be an officer from a bank, government or law enforcement agency, or debt collector.

These are some ways you can follow to prevent yourself from becoming a scam victim:

1) Don't answer

A lot of scam calls are made from unknown and overseas numbers. Do not answer calls from numbers you do not recognize.

2) Don't divulge too much information

Even if enforcement officers from government agencies reach out to you via phone, they will never ask you to divulge your personal information, such as your bank account number, credit card number or TAC (Transaction Authorisation Code) number. If someone calls you and asks for such information, hang up the call immediately.

3) Call back if in doubt

There would be times when you start having doubts if you really in trouble with the authorities. If in doubt, call back the official numbers of the bank, or other agencies involved, which you can get from their official website, or online. If possible, visit the nearby the nearest branch for a peace of mind.

4) Don't click on any suspicious links

Besides phone calls, scam messages also come through email and SMS, which often contain suspicious links the victims are supposed to click on to "settle" their issues. Do not click on any such links as it could may contain bugs, or lead you to sites that can steal your personal data.

5) Get caller identification apps

Nowadays, there are apps, such as Truecaller, that identifies and alerts users of incoming calls. Install one such app in your mobile phone so that you can identify and block unwanted scammers.

Hope the sharing above will help you avoid becoming a scam statistic.


Source: Maskulin
Photo source: USA Today