Computer crime cases handled by the Judiciary Police (PJ) saw a four-fold increase in 2021 compared with 2020, jumping from 374 to over 1,600, a PJ representative told public service broadcaster TDM.
Credit card fraud, online dating fraud – known in Chinese as pig-butchering scam- increased significantly.
Pig-butchering scam is a new type of cybercrime that tricks victims into a gambling or financing trap by winning their trust through a romantic relationship.
The head of the Gaming and Economic Crime Investigation Department of the Judiciary Police, Sou Sio Keong, told TDM that cyber-related crime cases have increased significantly under the pandemic situation, because citizens engaged in more e-consumption and online social interaction online due to travel and gathering restrictions.
PJ pledged to strengthen online inspections of criminal behaviors, pay more attention to new criminal methods, and enhance public’s vigilance towards of internet crimes by promoting the knowledge of prevention for such crimes.