Deputy communications minister Teo Nie Ching says it is time for a review of the law, to ensure that the provisions are adequate to address offences, especially cybercrime.

A report estimates at least 120,000 people across Myanmar and around 100,000 in Cambodia may be trapped in scam operations, with other criminal-owned enterprises in Laos, the Philippines and Thailand.

Saifuddin Nasution Ismail says the police should heighten public awareness about the crime.

These comprise RM232 million in losses from Facebook scams and RM70 million from Instagram scams.

Lured by social media posts promising well-paid jobs in countries like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, thousands of people have become trapped in cyber scam operations.

Their passports were confiscated and they were made to work up to 18 hours a day, with salary deductions for interacting with colleagues or taking extended breaks.

Indian police have raided hundreds of such centres in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai and Kolkata in recent years, and say they have charged thousands with fraud.

Thousands of people have been lured by social media advertisements promising well-paid jobs in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, only to find themselves forced to defraud strangers worldwide via the internet.

The bank says it is working with the police to recover the lost funds but that chances of recovery are low.

The gambling ring is reportedly the biggest ever uncovered by Vietnamese police.

The pandemic has set off a wave of scams around the world from bogus doses and fake vaccine passes to criminal cremations.

The criminals are often more interested in buyers' information and identity for exploitation than they are in payment.