LETTERS: I REFER to the NST report, “Malaysia in top 20 nations most affected by scam calls” on Dec 14.
Receiving spam, scam calls and messages are a nuisance, annoying, time-consuming and mentally tiring.
The callers are persistent, pushy and rude.
Upon receiving spam or scam calls, I tried retaliatory methods, including hanging up, putting them on hold and giving the silent treatment until they disconnect, but this only made them more determined to call back, even at odd hours.
It is foolhardy to think that by not answering unknown numbers and callers, these spammers and scammers will stop their antics.
Some years ago, I did not answer an unknown number that involved an emergency incident concerning my sons.
The consequences were detrimental.
Since then, to be on the safe side, I make a habit of answering all calls, including unknown numbers, just in case it is an urgent situation concerning my family.
It is to no avail to inform these callers not to call again.
Pressing them on where they got my number is of no use as they always say that they got it from a marketing department or from recommendations. They pretend to be ignorant of the source.
Some disguise themselves as representatives of legitimate financial institutions, but it turns out that the scammers are making use of the good name of reputable companies.
There must be some way to hit back at spammers and scammers.
As scammers refer to themselves as say they are calling from certain reputable institutions, I take the trouble to report their calls and SMS by providing screen shots of the latter to the institutions concerned, but they merely note my complaints instead of taking action.
I would have thought that the institutions with financial backing and legal resources would have been in a better position to deal with such matters but their laid-back attitude is a disappointment.
It is amazing that some of these callers have details of my personal information and my financial wellbeing.
Their knowledge of my financial health amazes me.
The Personal Data Protection Act 2010 that came into force in 2013 should protect us from spam and scam calls.
The mobile and technology operators do not seem to have developed vigilant ways for users to hit back at spammers, for instance, having a function to report such numbers and blocking them.
They should delist the numbers when a sufficient number of complaints is received.
Government agencies like the police, Malaysian Communications and the Multimedia Commission and telecommunication companies must work together to tackle spam.
Can’t they devote more resources to track down the callers and have them charged with making spam and scam calls?
Don’t the authorities have a list of people who register phone numbers used for making spam and scam calls?
These people should be barred for life from registering new numbers.
There will not be any end to scam calls in the absence of a more effective common platform for the public to lodge complaints where appropriate action is taken.
NG SHU TSUNG
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times