KUCHING: People should always be wary of lucrative offers that are too good to be true to avoid falling for scams.
Kuching police chief ACP Ahsmon Bajah said that those who received such offers should always refer to the authorities including the police for verification or advice.
“There has been an increase in commercial crime cases from January to June this year, especially involving online purchases and dubious lucky draws.
“A lot of the cases are more or less similar. How is it possible to win a competition or a contest despite never filling any form to be a participant?,” he asked during the Kuching police headquarters (IPD) monthly assembly today (June 28).
There will be text messages, phone calls and emails claiming they have won a lucrative prize.
He said as such there was a need for greater awareness among the public to verify with any agency when the perpetrators claim they are government officers or competition organisers.
Ahsmon advised the public to continue to be vigilant and not to be easily swayed by the lucrative offers or prizes thrown at them.
Aside from that, he said the Kuching police crime index from January to June this year, has declined by 32.29 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year.
Violent crimes, he said, have increased, posing a challenge to police.
“The cases increased by 30.19 per cent, among them involving domestic violence and some cases of sexual elements.
“These cases involved confrontations between people who knew each other and did not involve any element of gangsterism,” he said.
As for narcotic crimes, Ahsmon revealed that a total of 900 investigation papers have been opened and 1,041 individuals arrested within the six months.
