Telecommunication scams ranked second, causing losses of RM235.63 million during the same period.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians lost RM830 million to online scams in the first five months of 2026, with fake investment schemes continuing to inflict the heaviest financial damage on victims nationwide, according to the Home Ministry.
In a written parliamentary reply dated June 23, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution said fake investment scams accounted for RM361.63 million in losses between January and May, making them the most damaging form of online fraud.
READ MORE: Online scam losses hit RM2.97 billion in 2025, says IGP
Telecommunication scams ranked second, causing losses of RM235.63 million during the same period.
Saifuddin said online scam losses have risen sharply in recent years, increasing from RM1.57 billion in 2024 to RM2.97 billion in 2025, highlighting the growing social and economic threat posed by cybercrime.
“Fake investment scams consistently recorded the highest losses over the past three years,” he said.
According to the ministry’s data, losses from fake investment schemes rose from RM848.62 million in 2024 to RM1.46 billion in 2025.
Telecommunication fraud also recorded a substantial increase, climbing from RM497.12 million in 2024 to RM802.47 million last year before reaching RM235.63 million during the first five months of this year.
Love scams, while still significant, recorded comparatively lower losses, amounting to RM45.87 million in 2024, RM47.44 million in 2025 and RM17.76 million between January and May this year.
Saifuddin said Selangor and Kuala Lumpur remained the states most affected by online scams for three consecutive years.
Losses in Selangor nearly doubled from RM446.16 million in 2024 to RM986.79 million in 2025, while Kuala Lumpur recorded losses rising from RM293.30 million to RM782.86 million over the same period.
Other economically active states, including Johor, Penang and Perak, also experienced significant year-on-year increases in scam-related losses.
Sabah and Sarawak recorded similar trends, with losses in both states exceeding RM110 million last year.
Perlis continued to record the lowest losses nationwide, reporting RM6.73 million in 2024, RM11.12 million in 2025 and RM2.01 million up to May this year.
On recovery efforts, Saifuddin said the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC), established in 2022, had helped freeze RM32.49 million linked to scam activities, with RM10.9 million successfully returned to victims through legal procedures.
Between 2022 and 2025, authorities seized RM25.2 million, of which RM7.3 million, or 29%, was returned to victims.
For the January-to-May period this year, RM7.25 million was seized, with RM3.57 million, or 49%, already returned.
“The increase in the percentage of funds returned proves that the National Scam Response Centre’s function as the national scam response centre is becoming more effective and increasingly trusted by the public,” he said.
Saifuddin said the NSRC functions as a one-stop centre for reporting online scams and serves as the country’s first line of defence against fraud by enabling rapid intervention to minimise losses.
The written reply was in response to a question from Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran), who sought details on online scam losses by category and state over the past three years, as well as information on fund recovery rates and measures to improve the detection, freezing and restitution of scam proceeds.
