KUCHING, SARAWAK – An elderly Sarawakian faced unexpected financial distress after discovering several unknown deductions from her bank account, prompting calls for stronger fraud prevention measures in Malaysian banks.
The incident came to light when the complainant updated her account information at the bank counter. She noticed a major deduction of RM2,156 on 12 November, followed by four smaller transactions on 19 December, amounting to RM12.96, RM16.20, RM21.01, and RM18.36 respectively.
Bank staff reportedly suggested that the deductions may have resulted from clicking an unknown link on Facebook. They provided a customer complaint hotline for further assistance. However, repeated attempts to contact the bank proved frustrating, as most calls were busy. On the rare occasion that she connected, the complainant was informed that no officer was available to handle her case before the call was abruptly ended. Feeling helpless, the elderly woman lodged a police report and sought assistance from the Sarawak Consumers Association (Pertubuhan Pengguna Sarawak, PPS).
Dr. Wynson Ong Teck Ping, President of PPS, confirmed that investigations revealed the complainant had never used online banking, was unaware of how to conduct online transactions, and had never linked her bank account to Facebook. “This explanation from the bank is clearly not reasonable. We urge banks to conduct thorough internal investigations and ensure dedicated officers are available to assist customers facing unauthorized deductions,” Dr. Wynson Ong said.
PPS confirmed it will continue to monitor the case and provide assistance until the matter is resolved. The organization also urged banks to assign dedicated officers at each branch to handle suspected fraud and unauthorized transactions, instead of merely providing hard-to-reach complaint hotlines. Scams and fraudulent deductions are increasingly serious threats to Malaysian consumers.
Members of the public are encouraged to contact PPS at 017-7109299 for guidance on suspicious banking activities.
