KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's online crime cases surge 35.5 percent year-on-year to 34,532 in 2023, official data showed Wednesday.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement that e-commerce crime was the highest contributor to online crime in 2023, at 33.2 percent of all the cases.

In the six categories listed under the online crime in the Southeast Asian country, it was followed by telecommunication crime (30 percent), non-existent investments (15.6 percent), non-existent loans (12.3 percent), e-finance (6.1 percent) and love scams (2.7 percent).

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In the love scam cases reported in 2023, females accounted for 78.2 percent of the total victims. Victims aged 41 to 50 years recorded the highest percentage by age group, with 24.3 percent, the data showed.