KUCHING, Aug 29 — Members of the public have been advised to remain vigilant against individuals impersonating officials from the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) programmes.
Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), in issuing the warning, said some criminal groups had resorted to using telephone numbers similar to official hotlines to contact members of the public and gain their trust before obtaining their personal and banking information.
“Some individuals are impersonating officials from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), claiming to represent the STR and Sara programmes, and contacting people using numbers similar to official phone numbers in an attempt to trick victims into providing personal information,” said BNM in a Facebook post.
BNM reminded all that the MoF has not authorised any third party to use its official contact numbers to handle STR or Sara matters, and that MoF officials would never ask the public to make any payments on their behalf.
The central bank appealed to the public not to disclose any personal or banking information to unidentified callers, including their MyKad number, bank account number, One-Time Password (OTP) or Transaction Authorisation Code (TAC), online banking password or Personal Identification Number (PIN), and other personal and financial information.
It also urged the public to adhere to the ‘3S’ anti-fraud principle: Soal (inquire), Sekat (block) and Sebar (share).
The public must first inquire about and verify the information and identity provided by the caller; subsequently, they must never provide personal or banking information to strangers; and lastly, they should inform friends and family about the scam and report it to the enforcement authorities to help prevent more people from falling prey to scammers.
“If a person unfortunately falls victim to fraud, he/she should immediately contact his/her bank’s hotline to request assistance in blocking suspicious transactions.
“The victim should also call the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 for assistance and report the incident to the police for further investigation,” pointed out BNM.
The central bank also advised the public to immediately end any suspicious call claiming to be from officials of the STR or SARA programmes.
They should then contact the relevant authorities through official channels to verify the caller’s identity and the information provided.
“Never transfer money or provide any personal information as instructed by strangers,” it warned. Public urged to beware of scammers impersonating STR, Sara aid officials
KUCHING (Aug 29): Members of the public have been advised to remain vigilant against individuals impersonating officials from the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) programmes.
Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), in issuing the warning, said some criminal groups had resorted to using telephone numbers similar to official hotlines to contact members of the public and gain their trust before obtaining their personal and banking information.
“Some individuals are impersonating officials from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), claiming to represent the STR and Sara programmes, and contacting people using numbers similar to official phone numbers in an attempt to trick victims into providing personal information,” said BNM in a Facebook post.
BNM reminded all that the MoF has not authorised any third party to use its official contact numbers to handle STR or Sara matters, and that MoF officials would never ask the public to make any payments on their behalf.
The central bank appealed to the public not to disclose any personal or banking information to unidentified callers, including their MyKad number, bank account number, One-Time Password (OTP) or Transaction Authorisation Code (TAC), online banking password or Personal Identification Number (PIN), and other personal and financial information.
It also urged the public to adhere to the ‘3S’ anti-fraud principle: Soal (inquire), Sekat (block) and Sebar (share).
The public must first inquire about and verify the information and identity provided by the caller; subsequently, they must never provide personal or banking information to strangers; and lastly, they should inform friends and family about the scam and report it to the enforcement authorities to help prevent more people from falling prey to scammers.
“If a person unfortunately falls victim to fraud, he/she should immediately contact his/her bank’s hotline to request assistance in blocking suspicious transactions.
“The victim should also call the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 for assistance and report the incident to the police for further investigation,” pointed out BNM.
The central bank also advised the public to immediately end any suspicious call claiming to be from officials of the STR or SARA programmes.
They should then contact the relevant authorities through official channels to verify the caller’s identity and the information provided.
“Never transfer money or provide any personal information as instructed by strangers,” it warned. — The Borneo Post
Date: 29 August, 2026 4:16 pm
Source: Malay Mail
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