KOTA SAMARAHAN: Close cooperation between the state government, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police is vital to prevent the public from being deceived by online scammers.
Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Corporate Affairs, Information and UKAS), Datuk Abdullah Saidol said, this matter has been discussed in parliament and a programme drawn up to raise awareness among the public so as not to be deceived by scammers.
“But awareness programmes are not enough and we need to look at the relevant laws to be stricter.
“We are also getting information and briefings from the police about how we can avoid incidents like this. We know scams mostly happen over the phone and it’s not an easy thing for us to solve just like that.
“That’s why I said earlier, the awareness programme is very important but do it more aggressively,” he said after officiating the 2023 Final Year Student Inspiration Initiative (CIPTA’23).
He said the telecommunications sector also played an important role in dealing with this issue.
“We hope that related telecommunication (providers) will put in place stricter rules and guidelines so that it is not easy for people to register phone numbers without providing complete information,” he said.
He added that the authorities may have to crack down on those who voluntarily allow their accounts to be used for such scams.
