KUALA LUMPUR: Online crimes, including scams targeting teenagers, cost Malaysia RM1.224bil between January and October this year, says Teo Nie Ching.
The Deputy Communications Minister highlighted how scammers exploit people’s vulnerabilities through love and investment scams, among others.
“Alarmingly, scammers have now begun posing as representatives of the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC), falsely claiming they can help recover stolen money.
“Victims, desperate to recoup their losses, often fall for these secondary scams, increasing their financial woes,” she said, clarifying that the AGC does not provide such services.
Teo said this at the launch of the “Teens, Tech and Trust: Navigating Social Media in Malaysia” White Paper published by think-tank Social and Economic Research Initiative here yesterday.
She said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has been actively removing harmful online content, collaborating with platform providers to take down 255,745 posts this year.
Among these, Teo said scams accounted for 21.5% (56,294), with online gambling making up the bulk of the cases at 63.59% (167,042).
According to her, 242 scam-related posts were removed in 2022, rising significantly to 6,297 last year and 56,294 as of Dec 1 this year, with the total potentially reaching 60,000 by the end of the year.
She also called attention to paid scam advertisements on social media platforms such as Facebook, where 274 sponsored posts impersonating AGC agents were removed within a week.
“The fact that these posts were paid advertisements highlights the indirect complicity of platform providers like Meta, which profit from such content,” Teo said.
Highlighting the danger of obscene content online, she said from December 2022 until this month, 1,947 pieces of harmful content involving child exploitation were removed, with 71.2% related to child sexual abuse.
Teo also discussed the growing influence of social media on teenagers, describing it as a double-edged sword.
She said platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Xiaohongshu foster creativity and social connection, but also expose teenagers to risks such as cyberbullying, scams and online exploitation.
“The White Paper provides valuable recommendations on how to address these risks while retaining the benefits of social media,” she said, adding that balancing the advantages and dangers of social media is an urgent challenge.
