Kuala lumpur: More than 10,000 fake accounts misusing the identities of the King and Queen of Malaysia, as well as members of the royal family, have been removed since the beginning of the year, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. He stated that the action was carried out by social media platforms following continuous monitoring by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and reports received from various parties between January 1 and March 28.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Fahmi presented these concerns to the King, revealing that MCMC's findings confirmed the removal of over 10,000 fake accounts misusing the identities of the Malaysian royal family. This trend is ongoing, with MCMC reporting almost daily incidents of fake accounts using names such as the Sultan of Pahang, the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, and the Regent of Johor. Fahmi shared these updates after launching the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Digital Broadcasting Symposium 2026 (DBS 2026).
Fahmi further elaborated that His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim was briefed on the Online Safety Act (ONSA) 2025. His Majesty has directed the Ministry of Communications and MCMC to take swift and firm action, including using ONSA, to ensure social media platforms comply with the country's laws. The measures are deemed crucial to prevent the exploitation of royal identities for fraud and scams.
Fahmi expressed dissatisfaction with Meta's slow response to the issue, highlighting significant frustration for both MCMC and himself. Despite this, he assured that ONSA would be enforced firmly. Several subsidiary instruments are currently being finalized and are expected to be gazetted by the Attorney-General's Chambers soon, potentially allowing enforcement to begin within weeks.
Additionally, Fahmi announced plans for a meeting with the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) to enhance efforts against fraud involving artificial intelligence (AI), including deepfake AI scams. The meeting will involve multiple agencies such as the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NFCC), MCMC, the Attorney-General's Chambers, and other relevant bodies.