Scammers prefer Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok and Telegram, says Fahmi

Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok and Telegram are preferred online platforms for scammers, communications minister Fahmi Fadzil reportedly said. He added that scams and fraud committed on these four platforms have resulted in hundreds and millions of ringgit lost. 

In 2023, the estimated total amount of fraud on Facebook was around RM500 million, said Fahmi, reported The Star. 

Speaking at the Ihsan Madani programme on Monday (20 Jan), the minister reportedly said that the Commercial Crime Investigation Department has identified approximately 14 different types of scams on social media. This is in addition to phone calls and face-to-face meeting scams. 

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Fahmi reportedly cited that the popularity of these platforms amongst Malaysians is a major drive for criminals to commit fraud. This is especially since many users are easily deceived, he added.

The minister then revealed that a new campaign aimed to raise awareness about safe social media and how to avoid becoming a victim of scam will be implemented. It will roll out at schools first and will be targeting parents and students alike. 

In addition, other measures such as licensing social media platforms, tightening regulations and introducing a new definition of scam crimes have also been implemented to address the issue. 

Most recently, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Microsoft are reportedly in discussions regarding the licensing of LinkedIn. Meanwhile, discussions with X (formerly known as Twitter) and YouTube regarding their license registrations are still ongoing.

Earlier in January, X said that it has not reached the required threshold of eight million users, therefore not requiring a license. In response, the communications minister said that the MCMC will require additional time to verify the claim.

Meta, however, is in its final phase, with one document currently in the process of being submitted, Fahmi reportedly revealed. 

So far, only three social media players have received their licenses, with messaging platform Telegram being the most recent. The messaging platform was granted the license on 2 January, following behind Tencent and ByteDance. Tencent's WeChat was the first to be granted the class license, followed by ByteDance's video-sharing app, TikTok.

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