MCMC Receives 121 Reports On Scam Ads Using Names Of High-profile Individuals - Teo

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has so far received 121 reports on scam advertisements using names and images of high-profile individuals on social media platforms, according to Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.

She said that among the prominent figures whose identities have been misused in such fraudulent ads are the King of Malaysia, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim; the Sultan of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah; Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah; and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Teo also highlighted a recent incident involving herself, where she became a victim of a scam ad on Facebook, raising concerns about the role of platform operators, which appear to be acting as accomplices to such fraudulent activities.

“Lately, there have been many fake ads on Facebook, one of which claimed that I was giving away 2,000 free books. I asked MCMC to file a report with Meta. While one ad was removed, a second one appeared, followed by a third.

“By this morning, I received a message saying the ad was still up, and it was already the sixth version,” Teo revealed during Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.

Teo said that Meta, the company that owns and operates Facebook, appeared to be accepting payments from scammers to publish such ads on the platform as it continues to allow scam ads to be published despite being notified of their fraudulent nature.

“Although MCMC has issued notices identifying these as scam activities, Meta continues to assist scammers by allowing the second, third, fourth, and subsequent ads to go up,” she said in reply to Chong Chieng Jen (PH-Stampin) who wanted to know whether the government is prepared to amend existing laws to hold social media operators liable for financial losses suffered by victims of scam ads on their platforms.

Meanwhile, Teo said that the MCMC is also in the midst of drafting an online safety code to guide platform operators and relevant parties in publishing ads on social media.

She said this effort aligns with the amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588), which were gazetted on May 22.

“We will refer to models in other countries such as Singapore, where advertiser identity verification has been made compulsory before they can publish their ads.

“If such measures prove effective, they will be incorporated into the MCMC's new safety code,” she said.

On the misuse of digital platforms for online scams, Teo said that the MCMC had successfully removed 46,817 fraud contents as of July 15.

“In 2022, social media service providers took down 242 scam-related posts at MCMC’s request. This number rose to 6,297 in 2023 and surged further to 63,652 in 2024,” she said.

Teo said that these takedowns are carried out based on public complaints and in accordance with the community guidelines set by each platform, in line with local laws.

She added that MCMC had also undertaken various initiatives, including technical collaborations with social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, to facilitate the takedown of content involving scams, investment fraud, online gambling, and the sale of unregistered products.

-- BERNAMA