The legal framework
Identity fraud is prosecuted under Penal Code provisions on cheating and personation and under the Computer Crimes Act 1997. The National Scam Response Centre, reachable on 997, coordinates banks and police to freeze funds in the first hours. The Central Credit Reference Information System held by the central bank lets you see borrowings in your name.
Malaysian law covers identity misuse through the Penal Code offences of cheating and cheating by personation, supported by the Computer Crimes Act where a system is accessed. The operational response runs through the National Scam Response Centre on 997, which coordinates banks, telecoms and police in the first minutes, and through the police commercial crime department for the investigation itself.
Key points
| Penal Code | Cheating by personation, forgery |
|---|---|
| Computer Crimes Act 1997 | Unauthorised access |
| Hotline | National Scam Response Centre, 997 |
| CCRIS | Central bank credit report, showing loans in your name |
| Data protection | PDPA 2010, amended in 2024, for the underlying data breach |
| Documents | JPN for MyKad issues |
| 997 | National Scam Response Centre, operating around the clock |
| Kill switch | Some banks allow an immediate freeze of all digital access |
In practice
- Call 997 straight away if money has moved.
- Lodge a police report and keep the report number.
- Request your CCRIS report from the central bank to identify loans taken in your name.
- Report the loss of a MyKad to JPN and to the police.
- Ask your bank about the kill switch feature: it freezes all digital access at once.
Where to go
- National Scam Response Centre, 997.
- Bank Negara Malaysia BNMLINK for CCRIS.
- Royal Malaysia Police commercial crime division.
Worth knowing
The CCRIS report is free and shows every regulated borrowing in your name: it is the quickest way to discover loans you never took out. The CCRIS report is free and complete. Requesting it is the fastest way to discover loans taken out in your name.
Frequently asked questions
What is 997?
The National Scam Response Centre hotline, which puts banks, telecommunications operators and police on the same call so that accounts can be frozen and numbers blocked quickly. It is intended for the moment money has moved; a formal police report follows at a station.
What should you do in the first hour?
Call your bank and freeze the affected accounts and cards, change the passwords on your email first and then on everything linked to it, and turn on two-factor authentication. Take screenshots of everything before anything is deleted. Then report to the police and keep the reference number: banks, lenders and telecom operators will ask for it before they reverse anything.
Official sources and links
- MyGovernment — official government portal