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THE government has confirmed that no social media companies have been convicted or penalised in either civil or criminal court for the publication of scam-related advertisements on their platforms, despite rising concerns over fraudulent investment and online financial scams.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Tuan Chong Chieng Jen (Stampin), the Ministry of Communications stated, “To date, there is no record showing that any social media platform such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Xiaohongshu has been convicted or punished by civil or criminal courts in Malaysia for publishing scam-related advertisements.”
The ministry noted that online scam content is typically published by third parties, and legal assessments depend on the platform’s role and liability in enabling or failing to act on such content.
“Matters of fraud involving financial loss, whether online or offline, fall primarily under the jurisdiction of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM),” the ministry explained. Provisions under the Penal Code \[Act 574], the Computer Crimes Act 1997 \[Act 563], and other relevant laws are used to address such offences.
Despite the lack of legal convictions, the ministry stressed it takes the issue of online scams seriously. “Through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), we have established technical collaborations with social media providers including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to remove content involving scams, fraudulent investments, online gambling and unregistered product sales,” the statement said.
In 2022, platforms removed 242 scam-related contents at the request of the MCMC. This figure surged to 6,297 in 2023 and 63,652 in 2024. As of 15 July 2025, a further 46,817 scam-related contents had been removed.
These actions are carried out based on public complaints and enforcement requests, in accordance with platform-specific community guidelines and Malaysian law.
As part of a broader whole-of-government strategy, the government has established the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC), a joint effort involving the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Home Affairs, PDRM, Bank Negara Malaysia and the MCMC.
“NSRC, now led by the Royal Malaysia Police, not only functions as a one-stop action centre but also actively implements public awareness campaigns and national education programmes on digital fraud and cybercrime,” the ministry added.
As of 1 July 2025, the NSRC had conducted 11 public programmes and plans to carry out 19 more this year, including strategic collaborations with media and digital platforms. One of its key initiatives is the ‘Semak Mule’ portal, developed by PDRM, which enables users to verify suspicious account numbers or phone numbers. - July 23, 2025
