The police today said credit card fraud rose for the first nine months of 2003 with losses worth RM665,000 compared to the previous year.

Salleh Mat Som, director of the criminal investigation department said for the whole of last year, 149 fraud cases with losses valued at RM500,000 were reported.

Police said 41 suspects were charged in court in the first nine months of 2003 compared to 35 last year.

"The rise in fraud cases is worrying," Salleh was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

He said there had been a sharp rise in credit card issuance in the past two years, with more than 4.5 million cards in circulation. - AFP