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Malaysian Indians least likely to be scammed as they ask too many questions: police

Being a Malaysian Indian is apparently a good indication that you are unlikely to fall for a scam. Police have found that potential victims from…

By Samantha Johnson / April 29, 2026

Being a Malaysian Indian is apparently a good indication that you are unlikely to fall for a scam. Police have found that potential victims from the ethnic group are more than likely to frustrate scammers with a barrage of questions.

Malaysians lost an estimated 2.7 billion ringgit (US$684 million) to online scams last year alone, according to data from cybersecurity firm Fortinet Malaysia – a 76 per cent increase from the previous year – as syndicates adopt increasingly sophisticated methods that exploit digital payment systems to redirect transactions.

The losses correlated with a sharp spike in online scam content. On Tuesday, the communications ministry revealed that over 98,500 scam-related posts were taken down in 2025, significantly higher than the 63,652 posts removed a year earlier.

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But the loss was lower among the Indian community, according to police in Penang state.

Hindu devotees pray near the Batu Caves Temple in Kuala Lumpur during a Thaipusam procession on January 25, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hindu devotees pray near the Batu Caves Temple in Kuala Lumpur during a Thaipusam procession on January 25, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

Data gathered by the Penang Commercial Crime Department (CCID) found that just a little over 7 per cent or 381 of the 5,090 scam cases reported in the island state last year involved Indian victims despite being equally targeted by scammers across racial groups.

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This was because they would often “respond with a barrage of questions”, Penang CCID deputy chief Pang Meng Tuck said, as quoted by local Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily.

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