KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 -- As online shopping becomes an increasingly popular way for Malaysians to buy everyday goods, scammers are finding more creative ways to exploit consumer habits and vulnerabilities.

Among the methods now drawing concern are cash-on-delivery (COD) fraud and phishing attempts linked to fake parcel notifications.

During a recent seminar hosted by Ninja Van Malaysia, its chief sales officer Fariz Maswan said COD scams increased by five per cent in the first quarter of this year, driven in part by Malaysia's high internet penetration and growing reliance on e-commerce.

Citing data from the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK), he added that scam-related financial losses in Malaysia have reached...