Family members of the passengers and crew on board the missing Flight MH370 must be extra-cautious and not fall into the trap of scam syndicates.

Family members who receive any suspicious emails, phone calls or text messages, should remain calm and first contact the relevant authorities especially Malaysia Airlines (MAS) or relevant government agencies to verify the information instead of making any hasty decision.

A newspaper from China has reported that while the search for the missing plane is still on-going, some conmen had laid their eyes on the family members of the MH370 passengers and crew.

According to the news report, the scam syndicate uses email passing off as MAS personnel to inform the next-of-kin that they can start to apply for compensation, but the beneficiary must first pay a certain amount as processing fees before the financial body can release the money.

I would like to advise the family members that they should first contact the MH370 next-of-kin committee for help and verification when they face any problems for reliable and updated information.

TAY PUAY CHUAN is MCA legal bureau chairperson and MCA central committee member.