Fahmi calls for stronger online anti‑fraud outreach in rural areas amid rising cyber threats

PETALING JAYA, Aug 20 — Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil has called for stronger and more targeted awareness campaigns on online fraud, particularly in rural areas, to combat the rising cyber threats that come with widespread internet access. Rather than focusing solely on large-scale programs in cities, Fahmi believes awareness should be taken to grassroots level through local Parent-Teacher Associations (PIBG), residents' associations and Rukun Tetangga.

He highlights the importance of direct community exposure, sharing real-life stories of fraud victims to raise awareness. He emphasizes the challenge of scammers being able to operate from remote areas once internet access is provided there.

Fahmi also states that from January 1 to the previous day, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had requested the removal of 476,516 online contents, with 302,139 related to online gambling and 128,312 containing fraudulent elements. Facebook was found to have the highest number of fraudulent content requests taken down, at 67,115, or 52 percent, followed by TikTok with 50,642.

Social media platforms bear the responsibility of preventing their services from being used for criminal activities such as fraud or online gambling, and Fahmi warns that failure to do so could result in fines of up to RM10 million. Victims of fraud are urged to report incidents immediately to the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) through 997, which functions similarly to a police report.

He stresses that prompt action, ideally within the first 15 to 30 minutes after an incident occurs, is crucial to increasing the chances of authorities stopping money transfers and returning the funds to victims.