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Xing Cai
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Thursday October 7, 2010
Don’t play scratch and blame
By FARIK ZOLKEPLI
[email protected]
JOHOR BARU: Be needy and not greedy to avoid falling victim to “Scratch-and-Win” scams, says Johor’s top cop. State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said people should not act based on greed and risk being conned by such scams.
“Don’t be gullible and believe you can easily win big prizes in this ‘Scratch-and-Win’ activity,” he told a press conference at the state police headquarters here yesterday. He advised the public not to blame the police for not taking action against the syndicates but instead protect themselves by being vigilant.
He was commenting on The Star’s front-page report on “Scratch-and-Win” scammers making an aggressive comeback in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Malacca, Kedah and Perak. Despite numerous media reports, many people continue to fall prey to the scam.
The victims include university students, housewives, civil servants, businessmen and even professionals. DCP Mohd Mokhtar said police recorded 38 cases of such scams last year, and 87 reports were lodged so far this year. He said the cases were often referred to the state Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs department.
“Don’t act irrationally and point the finger of blame on the police. We have acted on many such reports by cooperating with the department and often advising victims to report to the Consumer Claims Tribunal,” he said. He added that police could investigate reports against the syndicates but had no power to recover the victims’ money.
“We investigate and refer the matter to the Deputy Public Prosecutor’s office for further action. “However, not all ‘Scratch-and-Win’ cases are classified as fraud. Some might fall under the Direct Selling Act 1993, which is under the purview of the department,” he said.
