KUCHING: The Sarawak Civil Community Awareness Association (SCCA) has expressed its commitment to collaborate with the Sarawak police in raising public awareness about cybercrimes and precautionary measures to take to avoid falling victim.
Its chairman Datuk Dr John Lau Pang Heng gave the commitment during a courtesy call by the association’s executive committee members on Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri at the Contingent Police headquarters (IPK) yesterday (Sept 19).
While the overall crime rate has reduced, Sarawak is witnessing a rise in cybercrime cases, resulting in numerous innocent individuals falling victim to scams, incurring substantial financial losses.
“During the visit, Mohd Azman emphasised the importance of a joint effort to disseminate awareness within the community, particularly cautioning against unsolicited phone calls from unidentified sources.
“Our association has been advised to educate the public to exercise vigilance when receiving such calls and has recommended the installation of caller identification applications like ‘True Caller’ and ‘Whoscall’ to help identify callers and potential scam attempts/
“Mohd Azman also stressed the importance of hosting neighbourhood townhall sessions to engage with the public, with the aim of enhancing crime prevention and combatting cybercrimes,” he said.
Lau added that the public should also refrain from complying with suspicious requests from unknown callers.
The public is told not to click on dubious links in emails or from untrusted websites, not to share their personal information, and always verify the call or transaction with the relevant company or authority first.
Also present were Sarawak Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata, Sarawak Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief SAC Wong Ing Fung, Sarawak Management Department chief SAC Awang Din Awang Gani and SCCA’s deputy chairman David Hii Chin Loung.
SCCA, which received approval from the Registrar of Societies in May 2023, has listed among its objectives a partnership with the police and local communities in the state to promote citizen-driven crime prevention initiatives, particularly focusing on raising awareness about cybercrimes.
