Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. — THE STAR/ANN Photo

CYBERJAYA — The National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) of Malaysia is now operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, marking a significant milestone in the country’s war against cybercrime.

Malaysian home minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said this operational expansion proves the government’s continuous commitment to protecting the people’s financial security through a "whole-of-government" approach.

Speaking at the centre's official launch at Menara 2 MCMC on Tuesday, Saifuddin Nasution highlighted the NSRC's effectiveness in curbing financial losses.

"Throughout last year, the NSRC recorded significant achievements in safeguarding the interests of online financial scam victims.

"We handled 146,167 complaint calls and implemented freezing actions on 138,915 involved accounts," he said.

Saifuddin noted that as a result of the NSRC's rapid response, a total of RM34.05mil was successfully saved from falling into the hands of syndicates last year

He added that there was also a drastic improvement in the return of funds to victims.

"The NSRC recorded a significant surge in returning funds to victims through the earmarking process, rising from RM508,479.39 (US$128,000) in 2024 to RM6.65 million ($1.7 million) in 2025," he said.

The momentum has continued into the current year, with Saifuddin revealing that as of January, a further RM1.44mil had been successfully seized through initial freezing actions.

The NSRC, which began initial operations on October 7, 2022, is led by the Royal Malaysia Police in collaboration with Bank Negara Malaysia, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, and the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre.

Communications minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil was also present at the launch.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin Nasution said the public can dial 997 to file reports with the NSRC.

"The quicker victims contact them, the faster Bank Negara can stop funds from being stolen. This is very important," he said.

Saifuddin said the NSRC will be evaluated by its ability to recover stolen funds for victims.

"We will monitor the trend," he added.

According to Saifuddin Nasution, the biggest challenge facing Putrajaya now is addressing cybercrime, which caused RM1.4 billion ($355 million) in losses in 2024.

"The rising trend is our biggest challenge," he added. — THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK