MELAKA: Banking and financial institutions in the country are reminded to always follow the list of standard operating procedures (SOPs) set in recognizing complaints of customers' money being withdrawn illegally, said Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying.
Lim said the ministry had received several complaints about bank officials who did not take appropriate action on complaints or investigate money withdrawn without acknowledgment by bank account holders.
"Some cases are being handled by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) but they are only a low percentage and are still under control. We will investigate specific cases on a case-by-case basis,” she told reporters after officiating at the launch of the Trace and Recovery Operation (TRO) 2.0 (Declaration Without Payment) Series 2/2024 here today, which was also attended by the Director General of Royal Malaysian Customs Datuk Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin@Mohd Zainuddin.
She said that at the same time, the implementation of the SOPs will also be tightened since all the steps are already in place and listed but there are still banks that refuse to follow them.
"So we give a reminder because SOPs and announcements like these are not new, where customer complaints about their money being withdrawn illegally, the bank needs to investigate accordingly. If it can be proven that it is not the customer's negligence and that all steps and procedures have been followed, hence the bank needs to be responsible.
"Bank account holders are advised to make it a habit to check their bank accounts and if this kind of thing still happens and they are not satisfied with the results of the bank's investigation, the customer can complain to the Ombudsman for Financial Services (OFS) or directly to Bank Negara Malaysia," she said.
Meanwhile, she said the TRO 2.0 (Declaration Without Payment) ceremony was symbolic of the implementation of a special integrated operation that the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) will carry out in seven locations, namely Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, KL International Airport, Johor, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak from July 14 to 19.
