Malaysian banks honour 68 staff who helped save RM139m from scammers last year
PETALING JAYA, June 10 — A total of 68 outstanding employees were honoured today for what banks described as their “exceptional vigilance and quick actions”, which helped prevent over RM139 million from being stolen by financial fraudsters in 2025.
The banking personnel were feted at the second consecutive #JanganKenaScam Bank Heroes Recognition Event 2026, a nationwide anti-scam initiative organised by The Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) and The Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (Aibim), in close collaboration with the police.
According to data released at the event, the ground-level vigilance of these employees complemented wider structural security measures, resulting in a staggering RM1.19 billion in fraudulent and suspicious transactions being blocked across the industry throughout last year.
This figure represents a three-fold increase year-on-year compared to 2024. The associations said the numbers reflect the aggressive scale of modern financial crime and the corresponding ramp-up in banking defences.
National Taskforce to Combat Fraud chairman Syed Ahmad Taufik Albar commended the dedication of the front-line staff, describing them as the crucial final line of defence against increasingly sophisticated syndicates.
“As personnel on the ground against financial crime, their swift actions and commitment have been instrumental in detecting suspicious activities and preventing fraudulent transactions before further losses can occur,” Syed Ahmad Taufik, who is also the group chief executive officer of Community Financial Services at Maybank, said in a statement.
The industry’s collective efforts yielded a 46 per cent increase in the total volume of successfully blocked fraudulent transaction attempts in 2025 compared to the previous year, he added.
#JanganKenaScam in third year
The #JanganKenaScam campaign, originally launched in 2023, acts as a primary vehicle for nationwide scam awareness, public education, and strategic knowledge sharing between commercial banks and law enforcement agencies.
Organisers said the annual recognition event underscores the critical partnership between corporate banking institutions and the authorities.
Frontline personnel such as tellers, customer service representatives, and branch managers are the critical first security layer between scammers and customers since they are trained to spot signs of fraud attempts.
Also present at the ceremony was Commissioner of Police Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa, the head of Bukit Aman’s commercial crime investigation department. He said combating commercial crimes and scams requires continued strong collaboration and support from the banking industry.
“Through close cooperation and information sharing, banks and law enforcement agencies have strengthened efforts to better protect the public against evolving scam threats,” he said.
Financial scams have become more sophisticated over the years, prompting Bukit Aman to issue severe warnings regarding a surge in AI-driven financial and investment scams across Malaysia.
It said scammers are now heavily utilising AI-generated deepfake videos and fake AI-powered investment apps to defraud victims of millions of ringgit, among others.
Banks pledge tougher security framework
Syed Ahmad said the banking industry is continuously strengthening technical security architectures, but stressed the importance of boosting public literacy on financial scams to neutralise threats before they reach the execution stage.
Malaysians lost a total of RM1.57 billion to online and financial scams in 2024, according to police and Home Ministry data, a steep 84 per cent increase year-on-year.
A total of 35,368 cybercrime cases involving financial scams were officially reported during that year alone.
