The young and the innocent: Scammers are now targeting kids. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
PETALING JAYA: After completing secondary school, A. Angelin got herself a temporary job. She was just 17 and earning her first paycheque was a proud achievement.
She saved every sen she earned – but her pride turned to heartbreak when she answered a phone call by her “network provider”.
In one swoop, her entire RM1,600 salary was gone.
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The caller told the teenager there were issues with her phone billing account and her line would be terminated if she did not follow his instructions.
“He spoke confidently and was convincing enough. I was fooled and started to panic. He provided me with a link and told me to log into my bank account. Then I received an SMS and was asked to reveal a set of numbers.
“I did not know it was the one-time password as I was not familiar with how online banking worked. Then, I received emails from the bank.
“My bank account, with my salary of RM1,600, was cleaned out in three transactions,” said Angelin, now a student at a public university.
Later, she learnt that the scammer had racked up another RM500 on her phone bill disguised as purchases with a foreign video game merchandise retailer.
Although she lodged a police report on the same day, she has resigned herself to the reality that the money is gone.
But the trauma is not. Although it happened three years ago, Angelin still gets anxious when she uses online apps or carries out banking transactions.
“That bitter experience has left a lasting impact on me. Losing RM2,100 was a painful lesson. Now, I am overly-cautious and double-check every website. I realise how easily we can be tricked,” she said.
Angelin is just one of many young people who have fallen victim to scammers.
Teenagers are most vulnerable because of their inclination towards connecting with others through social media platforms to establish new friendships, says Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman’s Assoc Prof Dr Sharon Wilson.
The university’s Centre for Media and Communication Research chairman has conducted extensive research on various scam schemes, along with the police.
Another issue faced by teenagers or minors is their low self-control where they seek immediate gratification, she said.
“What is frustrating is that as these victims are minors and the losses are relatively small, many parents do not report the case to police.
“This hinders the collection of data which can help identify scam patterns such as victim profiling and online behaviour,” she said.
Malaysian Cyber Consumers Association president Siraj Jalil said children and teenagers are becoming the “weakest link” in household cyber defence.
“For years, the elderly and working adults were seen as the most vulnerable groups due to lower digital literacy.
“However, cybercriminals are now turning to the younger generation who spend hours on social media, gaming platforms, and messaging apps,” he said when commenting on the findings of the State of Scams in Malaysia 2025 report.
What was more disturbing, Siraj said, were reports of teenagers falling victim to “sugarmummy” offers promoted through fake TikTok accounts.
“These scams begin with promises of money and gifts, but once victims were deceived, they are pressured into sharing explicit photos.
“Such material was then exploited for sextortion, with victims threatened that their images would be exposed unless they paid money,” he said.
Thus, scams today are no longer confined to financial fraud; they have evolved into organised child exploitation with psychological, social, and legal consequences, he said.
“What is urgently required is a comprehensive and immediate strategy.
“Digital literacy education should be embedded into school curriculum or mandatory co-curricular programmes, developed in collaboration with cyber communities, industry players, and relevant government agencies.
“This will build awareness from an early age,” he said.
Siraj said parents, too, must be equipped with effective monitoring tools such as family safety settings, content filters, and real-time alerts to guide their children’s online behaviour without eroding trust.
