Left: YBrs Tuan Norazman Nordin (JPJ), YBrs Puan Mas Tina Abdul Hamid (VTREC) and YBrs Ms. Saral James (NCCC)
Kuala Lumpur, 20 June 2023: The Vehicle Theft Reduction Council of Malaysia (VTREC), in collaboration with the Road Transport Department Malaysia (JPJ) and the National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC), has launched a 30-minute Facebook Live session aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of cloned vehicles, fraud and scams. The session provided valuable tips on how to avoid falling prey to scammers and purchasing cloned vehicles, as well as ensuring the safety of vehicles on the road. The focus of the recent FB Live broadcast centred around the topic of “Cloned Vehicles, Scam and Fraud”.
VTREC hosted an online feedback session via Facebook Live, aimed at educating and informing the public about the growing prevalence of cloned vehicles, fraud and scams. The session was designed to serve as a preventative measure, with the goal of protecting the community from becoming victims of these crimes.
The panellists’ line-up includes VTREC’s Co-ordinator, YBrs Puan Mas Tina Abdul Hamid, JPJ representative, YBrs Tuan Norazman Nordin, “Ketua Penolong Pegawai Penguatkuasa Kanan Unit Operasi & Siasatan Bahagian Penguatkuasa JPJ” and NCCC representative, YBrs Ms. Saral James, Senior Manager of the National Consumer Complaint Centre. YBrs Puan Mas Tina commenced the session by addressing the increasing number of victims falling prey to cloned vehicles, frauds and scams, particularly those occurring online. The highlighted trends have raised concerns as victims were suspected to have stumbled to these crimes due to the lower prices offered by the cloned vehicles.
The following panellist, YBrs Tuan Norazman answered the query on how cloned vehicles endangered road users. According to his statement, the owner of the vehicle and other road users could be put at risk. He also stated that cloned vehicles are usually perceived as reconditioned cars by the seller. He later emphasised that reconditioned cars need to have an Approved Permit (AP) thus, public needs to be aware of the permit before proceeding with buying the vehicles. YBrs Tuan Norazman shared that under Section 7 of the Road Transport Act 1987, that vehicle ownership or usage is prohibited unless the vehicle has been registered. Individuals who possess unregistered vehicles may face a minimum fine of RM 2,000 and a maximum fine of RM 10,000 according to authorities.
According to the statistics provided, the enforcement agency has apprehended a total of 3770 cloned vehicles between 2014 and 2023. According to the JPJ records, the number of cloned vehicles apprehended in 2023 was only fifteen (15) as of May 2023. This suggests that the general public is becoming increasingly cognizant of the fraudulent activities associated with cloned vehicles. YBrs Tuan Norazman reported that the JPJ has undertaken advocacy efforts to raise awareness of fraudulent activities and scams related to cloned vehicles. He also raised an alarming concern regarding cloned vehicles and has provided tips on how to identify them is by conducting a physical survey of the vehicles. He also emphasised that the offer made by the fraudster seemed dubious and too good to be true, given that the vehicles were often sold at prices lower than those advertised.
The third panellist was YBrs Ms. Saral James, who shed light on the National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) and its crucial role in receiving and redirecting user complaints to the relevant organisations. YBrs Ms. Saral reported that NCCC has not received any complaints regarding vehicle theft or cloned vehicles at present. According to a recent report, the National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) has received a complaint from a victim who was allegedly scammed by a car dealer. The victim had reportedly booked a car and paid the deposit, only to be informed by the dealer that the vehicle had been sold to another customer. The victim is reportedly contemplating purchasing a new vehicle in order to prevent the deposit from being incinerated. In a passionate plea, she urged the public to remain vigilant against fraudulent activities and scams perpetrated by unethical car dealers.
Prior ending her info sharing, YBrs Ms. Saral emphasised the importance of conducting thorough research on the car dealer company and physically inspecting the vehicle before making any purchases. According to her statement, in the event that the victim has already fallen into the trap of the fraudsters, it is recommended to promptly notify the police without delay.
The FB Live session also opened the session for questions from the participants. The panellists picked up question from the Comments Box to answer questions that have been asked. In response to the question about the most prevalent country of origin for cloned vehicles, YBrs Tuan Norazman provided an answer, revealing that the majority of these cloned vehicles hail from Singapore. Furthermore, these cloned vehicles have been apprehended in various locations throughout Malaysia. In response to inquiries about the NCCC’s involvement in combatting scams and fraud related to cloned vehicles, YBrs Ms. Saral provided a comprehensive explanation. YBrs Ms. Saral emphasised that complaints will be directed to the appropriate enforcement authority, such as Polis Diraja Malaysia. She strongly advised the public to conduct thorough research on the background of vehicle dealers prior to making any purchases, in order to safeguard themselves against falling prey to fraudulent individuals.
The specially invited panellists, YBrs Tuan Norazman and YBrs Ms. Saral with VTREC team led by YBrs Puan Mas Tina.
At the end of the session, YBrs Puan Mas Tina advised the public to always be cautious and vigilant while hoping that the trend for cloned vehicles, frauds and scams will continuously reduce for the year 2023. VTREC will continue to advocate and collaborate through campaigns, seminars with related agencies to keep public awareness high.
