Case Study: Malaysians Among Most Vulnerable To Scams In the year 2019, Pahang Commercial Crime Investigation Department Chief Superintendent Mohd Wazir Mohd Yusof told reporters that more people had fallen victims to scams. In the first eight months of 2018 (January to August), 111 cases were recorded with losses of more than RM3.9 million; for the same period in 2019, there were 109 cases involving almost the same amount in losses for the victims. The final tally for 2018 was 181 scam cases involving over RM5 million. "It is a worrying trend because sometimes, we get 10 reported cases in a day," he added. Wazir said most victims would panic after getting calls from scammers (who identify themselves as police officers) and being informed that they were being investigated for drug trafficking, criminal activity or money laundering. He stressed that authorities like the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the courts will never call to inform individuals that they are being investigated and that there is a warrant of arrest waiting for them. Criminologist Dr Geshina Mat Saat believes everyone is a "potential victim" of scams. There is no one single tactic used by scammers to lure their victims. She agrees that public awareness campaigns are effective but they must be constant and sustainable over time. The internet has created opportunities for scammers to operate on a global scale. "Although not every targeted person becomes a victim, there are enough to make scams a lucrative way to make easy money", she added. The "old" scams I mentioned above include the following - illegal money lenders who claim to be 'licensed', the EPF scam syndicate, the travel package scam, the land scam, the lottery scam, the bank officer scam, Casanova (African) scam, investments scams and the work-from-home scam. a. Based on the above case study, suggest a strategy to protect oneself from scammers. (15 marks) b. Justify why online scammers still exists nowadays even the public are aware about this criminal and crime. (10 marks)