The Malaysian banking industry have recognised the efforts of 68 bank employees in helping to prevent more than RM139 million in fraudulent transactions in 2025.
The recognition was given during the #JanganKenaScam Bank Heroes Recognition Event 2026, which honours frontline bank staff who identified suspicious transactions, intervened in potential scam cases and safeguarding customers from financial losses.
According to the banking industry, banks collectively prevented RM1.19 billion in fraudulent and suspicious transactions in 2025. This represents a three-fold increase compared to the previous year, while the number of blocked fraudulent transaction attempts increased by 46% year-on-year.
The Bank Heroes Recognition Event is now in its second year under the #JanganKenaScam campaign, This a nationwide scam awareness initiative launched in 2023 by The Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) and The Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM). The initiative is organised in collaboration with the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).
Syed Ahmad Taufik Albar, Chairman of the National Taskforce to Combat Fraud and Group CEO of Community Financial Services, Maybank, commends the dedication and vigilance of bank staff across the industry who continue to play a critical role in protecting customers against financial scams.
He said, “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.”
“Their efforts, alongside the various security measures implemented by banks and financial institutions, contributed to a 46% increase in fraudulent transaction attempts successfully blocked in 2025 as compared to 2024. The total value of prevented fraudulent transactions also rose to RM1.19 billion, representing a three-fold increase year-on-year and reflecting the industry’s continued commitment to strengthening fraud prevention amid an increasingly sophisticated scam landscape,” he added.
Over RM600 million secured through Money Vault and Money Lock features
The banking industry also shared updates on the effectiveness of several anti-scam measures introduced by banks and financial institutions.
Some of the interesting stats include:
- More than 38,000 customers are using Money Vault or Money Lock features, with over RM600 million secured in protected accounts.
- Malware shielding capabilities helped prevent over 60,000 malware-related scam attempts involving approximately RM22 million in potential losses.
- Kill Switch functions have been activated by around 300,000 users, helping prevent close to RM7 million in potential losses.
- Banks have also introduced online security self-service check facilities that allow customers to perform account security health checks and take corrective action.
In addition, some banks have rolled out self-service security tools that enable customers to monitor devices, sessions and login activity to improve account safety and awareness. These measures are complemented by cybersecurity education programmes, particularly for SMEs, to help them better recognise and defend against evolving phishing and scam attacks.
Commissioner of Police Dato’ Rusdi Mohd Isa, Director of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), said, “The Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) values the strong collaboration and continued support from the banking industry in combating commercial crimes and scams. Through close cooperation and information sharing, banks and law enforcement agencies have strengthened efforts to better protect the public against evolving scam threats.”
The banking industry said it will continue to run awareness programmes under the #JanganKenaScam campaign to raise fraud literacy and encourage Malaysians to remain vigilant against financial scams.
The 68 recipients recognised this year came from 14 banks which include Agrobank, Alliance Bank, AmBank, Bank of China, Bank Islam, Bank Muamalat, Bank Simpanan Nasional, CIMB, HSBC, Maybank, OCBC, Public Bank, RHB and UOB.
If you’re a potential victim of a financial scam, do report it immediately by calling the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) number 997. The earlier you report, the higher the chances of recovering your lost funds.