Latest news with #AirItam
The Star
22-05-2025
- The Star
Penang records over 4,300 online gambling and scam cases since 2023
GEORGE TOWN: Penang has recorded 4,332 cases related to online gambling and scams since 2023, says Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow. In 2023, there were 2,337 cases, resulting in 2,681 arrests and 1,390 persons charged, while the figures for 2024 were 1,510 cases with 1,810 arrests and 1,084 persons charged. 'As of March this year, we have recorded 485 cases, 542 arrests and 255 individuals charged in court,' he said at the state legislative assembly here yesterday. Chow was responding to a question from Joseph Ng Soon Siang (PH–Air Itam), who had asked about statistics and measures taken against online gambling and scams in Penang since 2023. Since 2023, over 150 mule accounts linked to such activities involving about RM32mil in funds have been frozen nationwide. 'The government has amended the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to strengthen efforts against cybercrimes, including online gambling and scams. 'The police have also carried out operations such as Ops Dadu to cripple gambling and scam syndicates,' he said. Chow added that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has also taken action to restrict access to websites and phone numbers used to promote or send spam messages related to online gambling. 'A total of 6,381 websites were restricted between 2020 and 2022, and 212,000 phone numbers were terminated. 'The authorities are also working with Tenaga Nasional Bhd to cut electricity supply to premises involved in gambling.' Meanwhile, Penang will introduce a track-and-trace system to tag its durians for better verification of authenticity. Penang agrotechnology, food security and cooperative development committee chairman Fahmi Zainol said the smart platform, developed with Mimos Bhd, aims to tackle fraud and protect local growers. 'We developed this platform after receiving complaints from local operators about fraud and exploitation by irresponsible parties,' he said. Fahmi said the new tracking system will offer end-to-end visibility from farms to retailers and boost consumer confidence. 'This system will support the verification of product certifications, ensuring quality assurance and transparency,' he added.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
More than 150 mule accounts used for online gambling frozen in Penang, says chief minister
GEORGE TOWN, May 22 — Police have frozen a total of 150 mule accounts used for online gambling in Penang, involving RM32 million between 2023 and this year. Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the police have conducted Ops Dadu continuously to bust illegal gambling and scam syndicates. 'There were 2,681 arrests by the police involving 2,337 online gambling cases with 1,390 charges in court in 2023 and 1,810 arrests involving 1,510 cases with 1,084 charges in court in 2024,' he said in reply to a question by Joseph Ng Soon Siang (DAP - Air Itam) at the state legislative assembly on the online gambling and scam cases in Penang. He added that this year, up to March, a total of 542 arrests were made involving 485 cases, while 255 charges in court were filed. Chow said the federal government has amended the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to introduce stronger penalties against cybercrimes, including online gambling and digital scams. 'The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has blocked thousands of online gambling sites,' he said. He noted that 6,381 sites were blocked between 2020 and 2022. 'MCMC has also terminated over 212,000 phone lines that were used to send spam related to gambling and scams,' he said. He said the police are working with MCMC, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), and local governments to conduct joint raids and operations. He added that electricity and water supplies were also cut off at premises involved in illegal gambling activities. 'The government has conducted awareness programmes through various platforms to educate the public on the dangers of online gambling and cyber scams,' he said. He said similar awareness programmes were also implemented in schools to educate students on this matter. He acknowledged challenges in dismantling these online gambling syndicates, as they use multi-layered structures to avoid detection and enforcement action. 'The government is urging social media platforms to invest in AI to speed up the process of identifying and removing illegal gambling sites,' he said. He added that compulsory licensing for social media platforms was aimed at increasing accountability and easing enforcement action against illegal content.
