Asean countries need to make a concerted effort at the regional level to combat online fraud, says Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said this was because online fraudsters were always looking for loopholes in the laws of other countries.
“The laws that apply in Malaysia may not apply in neighboring countries,” he said.
According to Fahmi, almost every Asean member country raised the issue during the recent Asean Digital Ministers Meeting.
“There is a need for government-to-government and police-to-police cooperation (among Asean member countries) as well as a regional framework to manage data transfer,” he said.
He said every year, Malaysia recorded losses of over half a billion ringgit a year through scam crimes, while Singapore reported losses of over two billion Singapore dollars.
“Scammers are very creative in conducting online fraud but it is not a creative industry that the Ministry of Communications and Digital wants to develop. The core factor (in fighting online fraud) is the attitude of the people themselves, which is to always be careful and alert,” said Fahmi.
