PDRM’s “Be Good, Keep Alert” anti-scam music video is extra of a blatant self-promo

Let’s face it—its ridiculous how typically scams are taking place lately. Time and time once more, we hear of tales of individuals being swindled, inflicting immense grief and struggling. The state of affairs is so dangerous that its impressed motion from each politicians and banks, however nothing is being executed quick sufficient.

The police know this, which is why their Business Crime Investigation Division (CCID) has been onerous at work in elevating public consciousness, with advertisements taken out on billboards and public transport screens. Its newest effort is the discharge of a music video referred to as “Be Good Keep Alert.”

The difficulty is, it appears no person at PDRM or the CCID realised that the very last thing anybody wants is a music video that’s heavy on the self-promotion. The music itself is well-meaning if somewhat cringeworthy, with lyrics like “tamak mencari jalan singkat membawa padah” and “helah scammer macam-macam jadi,” all set to a barely saccharine tune.

To the songwriters’ credit score, they’ve additionally executed a great job of integrating different languages, though they may’ve additionally used an English proofreader for the final chorus: “let’s struggle scammer [sic] collectively.”

However the video is much less all in favour of displaying the hazards of scams and as a substitute extra involved with cramming gratuitous footage of cops and higher-ups. It’s good to see them showing with celebrities and public figures—which embody actor and MY FM DJ Jack Lim—however do we actually have to see so many weapons, police automobiles, handshakes and a complete “briefing” by the CCID director? And a K9 unit in an anti-scam video?

Plainly whoever signed off on the video was obsessive about displaying the police doing their jobs than something of precise significance. Watch it with out audio or the subtitles and—save for the opening scene that confirmed a pair of victims—you’d be forgiven for considering it was really a Gerak Khas supercut. And actually, why the present of power for a video focused at rip-off victims, not the scammers themselves?

Let me make myself fairly clear—I’m on no account belittling the efforts of the power in bringing down rip-off artists. I additionally consider training and elevating consciousness is one of the best ways to stop unsuspecting civilians from falling prey to unscrupulous people and corporations, particularly given the quantity of high-profile cases which have been taking place just lately.

But when that had been actually the target of this video—and to not promote the greatness of PDRM and the CCID—then these accountable for it have utterly failed their supposed transient.

For those who’re really in search of recommendation, right here it’s: if a cash or job supply sounds too good to be true, it in all probability is. Respectable authorities and corporations gained’t rush you to make funds and can by no means ask for particulars like your passwords, OTP or ATM PIN quantity over the cellphone, so by no means give them out.

Within the occasion you will have turn out to be a sufferer of a rip-off, dial 997 within 24 hours to achieve the Nationwide Rip-off Response Centre and file a report. In accordance with Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, the NSRC will alert Financial institution Negara Malaysia, which is able to then transfer shortly to halt the outflow of funds.

He added that because the hotline was arrange in October, the centre has managed to recover RM1.3 to 1.4 million out of the RM12 million swindled. Fahmi has additionally beforehand urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Fee (MCMC) to take quicker, sterner action towards rip-off advertisements which have turn out to be rampant on social media.