LETTER | Why scammers are the scum of the earth

LETTER | There are various levels of scum on this earth. Scammers are moving up rapidly on this list. They are almost neck and neck right up there with corrupt, power-crazy politicians.

It would be inadequate to refer to scammers as thieves. Thieves pick your pocket. Thieves rob you at knifepoint and take what you carry on you. Thieves break into your home and steal your belongings. But they don’t take everything you own.

Scammers, meanwhile, almost always clear out everything or almost everything that a person has. They don’t just steal; they destroy lives.

We all have but one life. We spend that life building something that belongs to us. We exchange our ability and effort for a means of living comfortably in our old age. And they take it away. The one life we have, the one life we built.

A life destroyed.

That is why I believe that scammers are the scum of the earth. It is time for our politicians to seriously address the issue.

It does not matter that it does not affect big business, it does not matter that it does not affect the economy, it does not matter that high-profile people are not affected. It affects the common people. It is time to change laws and crack down hard.

It is time to act.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.