SPAOH: Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah has advised rural communities to be careful of phone calls from strangers, especially those promising easy money or profitable deals.
“These scammers are also reaching out to folk in rural areas, and I have been told of cases of such happenings, notably the parcel scam,” he said on Sunday.
Uggah addressed this at a gathering at his longhouse, Rh Mendit Unsu, in Penom before he declared open the National Information Dissemination Centre or NADI (Pusat Sebaran Maklumat Nasional) for his Bukit Saban constituency.
“We must always be very wary of calls from unknown numbers; thus, we must know who calls us.
“Any investment proposals must not easily take us in or offers to promise us great profit in return.
“Scammers are coming up with many scams to swindle you of your money or savings,” he said.
He also advised victims to lodge a police report if they had been affected and hoped the rural youth would not indulge in online gambling as such activity is destructive.
“We hope people will realise that gambling will not lead them anyway,” he expressed.
Regarding the NADI centre, he said that it will offer various training courses, including online commerce, e-Sports, skill development, and even basic skills like learning to read QR codes and more.
“We hope to open the doors for them to learn about the opportunities for contemporary income-making options using internet technology.
“The government’s target is to assist the people in increasing their income, and we want to help them communicate with the outside world. The centre uses the high-speed Starlink internet system,” he said.
The NADI centre, which costs RM400,000, is a Communication Ministry project implemented by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
It is one of the four under the Betong Parliamentary constituency, while the other three are in Betong, Debak and Spaoh.
Later at the function, Uggah, accompanied by Betong MP Datuk Dr Richard Rapu, presented approval letters to more than 30 recipients for agricultural projects from the Betong Division Development Agency (BDDA).
