Kuala lumpur: Findings from a series of discussions by a special working committee tackling online scams will be presented to the Cabinet soon, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said. He noted that a Cabinet note was being prepared to outline several key decisions reached following the committee's engagements.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Fahmi stated, "The working committee has held a series of discussions, and I will submit a Cabinet note soon to inform the Cabinet of several decisions," during a briefing with reporters after officiating M360 ASEAN 2026. Highlighting the committee's unique composition, Fahmi explained that it brings together commercial banks, telecommunications companies, and digital platform providers, including TikTok, in a coordinated effort to combat online scams.
He further mentioned that the discussions focused on identifying potential gaps in existing laws and exploring ways to strengthen strategic cooperation among enforcement agencies involved in investigating scam cases. The cross-agency cooperation involves key entities such as the Attorney-General's Chambers and the Royal Malaysia Police's Commercial Crime Investigation Department.
The establishment of the working committee and a special technical group was aimed at coordinating efforts by the government, regulators, enforcement agencies, financial institutions, telecommunications companies, and digital platforms to tackle online scams effectively.
In his opening speech, Fahmi also addressed previous operations targeting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Since December 2024, four major operations have led to 117 arrests across 162 locations, recovering over 1.47 million digital files, with 204,934 confirmed as child sexual abuse material.
To address such crimes, Malaysia is enhancing its digital safety framework through the Online Safety Act 2025 (ONSA), the Child Protection Code, and the Risk Mitigation Code. These frameworks assign clear responsibilities to platform providers, covering child safety-by-design, age verification, proactive risk assessments, stringent content governance, and responsive reporting mechanisms.
M360 ASEAN 2026, organized by the GSMA, took place on Sept 9 and 10, bringing together ministers, regulators, and industry leaders to discuss digital trust, artificial intelligence, resilient infrastructure, and regional digital integration. The event, held for the first time in the ASEAN region and in Malaysia, is endorsed by the Ministry of Communications, with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) as the host partner.