Experts urge tougher rules on scam ads to combat rising online fraud

New Straits Times

26-04-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: Given rising concerns over digital fraud, experts are calling for comprehensive improvements to the monitoring and regulation of scam advertisements in Malaysia.
Universiti Sains Malaysia Cybersecurity Research Centre director Professor Dr Selvakumar Manickam proposed that digital platforms must implement mandatory and rigorous advertiser verification for all ads targeting the Malaysian market.
"They also need to proactively deploy advanced AI systems capable of identifying and blocking deepfakes and AI-generated fraudulent content before it proliferates," he said when contacted.
Selvakumar added that legislative and regulatory reforms are also critical.
"Although Malaysia has recently enacted several policies and legislative updates to modernise its cybercrime framework, their effectiveness in practice and the strength of their enforcement still require ongoing assessment."
""Consideration should be given to specific regulations addressing new technological challenges; for example, China has introduced new rules requiring the labelling of AI-generated content to combat misinformation and enhance online transparency.
"Crucially, clear policies establishing shared financial liability for scam losses should be introduced, holding both platforms and telcos accountable and incentivising preventative measures."
Other measures, he said, telecommunication companies often serving as ISPs, are uniquely positioned to identify network-level threats.
"They must take a proactive leadership role in detecting and disrupting scam activities at the source."
He added inter-agency coordination also needs significant improvement.
"The roles, responsibilities, and specific expertise of agencies such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, Cybersecurity Malaysia, and the police must be clearly defined and streamlined.
"Enabling efficient and secure data sharing between these entities is paramount to creating a unified and effective response."
Earlier, CyberSecurity Malaysia said scammers are using.
Increasingly sophisticated tactics, Increasingly sophisticated tactics, including fake job offers, instant loan schemes, and counterfeit luxury goods, to lure victims into their traps.
Selvakumar said beyond targeting jobseekers and shoppers, the proliferation of scam ads in Malaysia represents a critical, escalating cybersecurity threat across all digital platforms.
"The scale of financial and emotional harm is immense, impacting our national economy significantly, with losses surpassing RM1 billion annually and estimated losses over the past year reaching nearly three per cent of the country's gross domestic product.
"Scam calls and SMS messages, often tied to online ad campaigns, have also risen sharply here.
"We face increasingly sophisticated tactics, leveraging AI, which overwhelms defences and exploits psychological vulnerabilities, requiring a broader, more urgent national response and, crucially, resolute action now, not a continuous cycle of action plans, as further delay will only exacerbate this worsening crisis.
On Dec 3 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told Dewan Rakyat Malaysia lost RM1.224 billion to online crime between January and October.
Anwar said this included losses due to online scams, telecommunications fraud, e-finance crimes, love scams, e-commerce fraud, non-existent loans and non-existent investments.
Selvakumar said a stronger and more unified national strategy is needed to boost scam awareness.
He said while the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) currently serves as the frontline agency, it needs significant empowerment; more resources, better inter-agency integration and critically, much higher public visibility to become the automatic first call for anyone suspecting a scam.
"Alongside strengthening the NSRC, our awareness campaigns must evolve significantly.
"We need to move beyond simply listing scam types and focus on building genuine behavioural resilience, teaching practical skills to recognise psychological manipulation and promoting critical thinking.
"These campaigns must also be targeted effectively to different demographics and adapt rapidly to the constantly changing tactics employed by scammers."