KUCHING: The progress of the country will be difficult to achieve if crime cases, especially financial crimes continue to proliferate, said the director-general of the National Financial Crime Prevention Centre (NFCC), Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali.
He said this is due to the increasing concern and negative impact of financial crimes such as scammers in the country.
“Our aspirations and dreams of having a harmonious developed nation with sustainable economic development and a united population under visionary leadership will be hindered if crime cases are not curbed.
“Financial crimes, whether corruption, fraud, smuggling, drugs, or organised crime, accompanied by environmental crimes, will damage the socio-economic, socio-cultural, and even the civilisation of the nation.
“Therefore, in collaboration with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), NFCC has taken action to establish the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC),” he said.
Mustafar said this in his welcoming speech at the Financial Crime Prevention Seminar held at Pullman Hotel here, yesterday.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg was present to officiate at the seminar, which is jointly organised by NFCC, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and Inland Revenue Board Malaysia (IRB).
Also present was Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
Furthermore, through the NSRC, he said scam response actions will be faster through the 997 Hotline for the purpose of checking and blocking transaction flows, blocking criminal proceeds by perpetrators, and freezing them under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) for a specified period.
In addition, it also assists in identifying and closing suspect accounts, returning money to victims, facilitating returns from banks, and facilitating returns through investigation processes or AMLA.
Explaining further, he added that these integrated actions have been successful in detecting ‘Mule Accounts,’ blocking money flows to ‘Mule Accounts,’ and even leading to the closure of suspected bank accounts.
