KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — Legal action can be taken against cybercriminals operating overseas if their offences involve Malaysian systems or their victims are Malaysian citizens.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Clause 2 of the Cyber Crime Bill 2026 allows legal action against offenders abroad as though the offences were committed in Malaysia.
“The government is leveraging existing international cooperation mechanisms to ensure that foreign-based criminals can be investigated, prosecuted and, where the requirements are met, extradited to Malaysia,” he said in a written reply posted on the Parliament website.
Zahid was responding to Jempol MP Datuk Shamshulkahar Mohd Deli's query on whether the existing legal framework on cybercrime is adequate to address artificial intelligence (AI)-powered online scams, including identity impersonation, deepfakes, and digital manipulation, as well as the specific provisions being strengthened to expedite action against syndicates and protect victims.
He added that the Bill, passed by Parliament in July, was drafted to repeal the Computer Crimes Act 1997, while addressing gaps in the law, including cross-border cybercrime and the misuse of AI technology.
Clause 23 of the Bill expanded the scope of offences involving impersonation through computer systems to address increasingly complex deepfake threats.
“Existing laws are no longer sufficient to deal with deepfakes, which can produce fake videos, images and voices that are difficult to distinguish from genuine ones and can be used to defraud and deceive the public.
“Hence, Clause 23 expands the scope of offences relating to impersonation using computer systems,” Zahid said.
To expedite action against cybercrime syndicates, the Bill also provided investigative powers under Clauses 38 to 41, covering the preservation and disclosure of data, the collection of traffic data and the interception of communications, subject to prescribed safeguards.
These powers are important as digital evidence can be deleted, altered, or transferred within a short period, requiring prompt investigative action.
On victim protection, Clause 54 empowers the court to issue orders to prevent or stop violations of the law upon application by the Public Prosecutor or an authorised officer, regardless of whether the suspect has been charged.
“Such orders include cessation orders, restitution orders for victims, compliance orders and asset restraint orders to prevent the dissipation of assets, such as proceeds from scams,” he said.
Overall, enforcement of the Cyber Crime Bill 2026 will strengthen enforcement agencies through more responsive investigative powers and provisions for extraterritorial jurisdiction to curb cybercrime, including AI-enabled online scams.
