SHAH ALAM, Oct 27 — The Selangor government thinks stricter enforcement is needed to curb online fraud, as rising cases indicate awareness campaigns are not enough, said state executive councillor for Islam and innovation Dr Fahmi Ngah.
“Enforcement jurisdiction is under federal agencies like the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA), and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). This (cyber crimefighting) is beyond the state’s powers.
“Among legal provisions used to address these cases are the Computer Crimes Act 1993 (Act 563), Act 574 on fraud and breach of trust, and Act 588 on the misuse of digital platforms,” he told Media Selangor.
According to Fahmi, cyber crimefighting must consider enabling ecosystems, and if scams are conducted via telcos, stricter interventions are needed to block licences, especially if they involve users in Selangor.
“... If scam data keeps rising, we have to look into what more aggressive actions we can take, besides awareness campaigns that have proven less effective.
“If these scams (are conducted) via (telco services), does the state government have to intervene more aggressively (by) blocking service licence approvals, especially those involving users in Selangor?” he asked.
He also said stronger efforts are needed to more comprehensively curb online fraud, including through more effective prevention and enforcement, to protect users.
Previously, BNM Governor Datuk Seri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour said Selangor was the state with the highest losses from online scams, with its residents losing RM986.79 million in 2025 — nearly one-third of the nation’s total RM2.97 billion losses from scams that year.
He said Selangor’s figure was almost double that of 2024’s RM446.16 million, indicating the growing threat of online fraud.
