TUMPAT: Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp and Telegram are online platforms identified as the most preferred spaces for scammers to commit fraud, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said losses from scams and fraud committed on these four platforms had easily reached hundreds of millions of ringgit.
“In 2023, the estimated total fraud through Facebook alone was around RM500mil. The latest has yet to be obtained, but overall, the amount is much larger.
“According to information from the Commercial Crime Investigation Department, there are at least 14 different types of scams carried out through social media, in addition to scam crimes in the form of phone calls and face-to-face meetings,” he said.
Fahmi said the popularity of these four social media and communication platforms among Malaysians is a major factor for criminals to commit fraud, as many users are easily deceived, Bernama reported.
As such, he said a large-scale online fraud awareness campaign would be implemented soon, starting at the school level.
“The campaign aims to raise awareness among parents and students about safe social media usage and how to avoid becoming scam victims,” he said.
