KANGAR: The public is advised to practice '3Ts' to avoid becoming victims of online fraud syndicates, Perlis Police Contingent Headquarters' Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief DSP Mohd Nor Daud said.

He said the 3Ts are "tanya, teliti and tidak tamak" (ask, study and self-control) that should be practised every time they want to make an online purchase or investment so that they would not suffer any losses.

"If you want to make an investment, ask about the company's name, address and source of investment first.

"Besides that, there is a need to study whether the price offered is reasonable or not. For example, if branded goods are sold at an extremely low price compared to the market price, there must be something wrong," he told Bernama recently.

Mohd Nor said the public should also practice self-control and not get easily excited by the cheap prices offered by the seller, but instead they should inquire more about it and make a price comparison first before proceeding to make the purchase.

"The public must remember that commercial crime is a unique form of crime because the perpetrators have high skills, knowledge and confidence to deceive victims. So, people should always be careful when making online purchases," he said.

In the meantime, Mohd Nor reminded the public not to fall victims to mule account syndicates as they could also be prosecuted for abetting fraud.

As such, he said the victims should immediately lodge a police report to ensure action is taken and urged the public to avoid providing their account information to unknown individuals.

Mohd Nor said recently, fraud syndicates were found to be using a new method to deceive victims, namely by making video calls while impersonating enforcement officers.

"Although there are still no cases in Perlis, the public is advised to be careful when receiving video calls because government departments or banks have never contacted the public through such method," he said.

-- BERNAMA