KULAI, Oct 2 — Social media users have been urged to improve their digital literacy and remain vigilant against the latest ‘sympathy scams’, which are becoming increasingly sophisticated through the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said unscrupulous individuals were exploiting advances in AI to fabricate distressing situations and manipulate public sympathy through fraudulent donation campaigns.
She urged social media users to verify the authenticity of such appeals before contributing, warning that scammers were taking advantage of Malaysians' generosity.
"Netizens must be digitally literate, exercise caution and always verify information before making donations. Do not allow irresponsible parties to exploit our soft spot or compassion," she told reporters after a working visit to SJKT Ladang Kulai Besar here today.
Teo said the misuse of AI-generated visuals was becoming increasingly worrying, with scammers creating emotionally charged content to deceive potential donors.
She said the ministry had also received complaints from individuals whose photographs and names had been used without permission to solicit donations.
According to Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) statistics, social media platforms received 174,099 requests to remove scam-related posts as of October 15 this year, compared with 102,113 throughout last year.
Of this year's requests, 170,633 posts were removed, representing a compliance rate of about 98 per cent.
Teo said the high compliance rate was largely because most fraudulent posts involved clear cases of deception.
Several suspected AI-generated posts have recently circulated on social media, depicting distressing scenes alongside QR codes linked to bank accounts to solicit public donations.
Social media users spotted apparent inconsistencies and implausible details in the images, raising suspicions that they had been generated using AI.
Teo said MCMC took such cases seriously and would act against fraudulent content following complaints, including requesting its removal from social media platforms.
She advised individuals whose identities or photographs had been misused to lodge police reports to help authorities trace the bank account holders involved.
She also urged the public to report suspicious online activities to MCMC or the relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, Teo said RM150,000 from the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (MITRA) had been allocated to provide five 86-inch interactive smartboards and related equipment to Tamil primary schools in the Kulai district.
SJKT Kulai Besar, the district's largest Tamil primary school with 830 pupils, received two smartboards, while SJKT Ladang Kelan, SJKT Ladang Kulai Oil Palm and SJKT Sedenak received one each.
During her visit, Teo also inspected the construction of a new RM4.3 million three-storey block at SJKT Kulai Besar, funded by the Education Ministry.
The building, comprising an open hall on the ground floor and eight classrooms on the upper floors, is expected to be handed over to the school by June next year.
