The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has identified and moved to take down over 127,000 pieces of scam-related content distributed across various social media platforms throughout 2025, according to Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil. Speaking at a government press briefing in Putrajaya on August 19, Fahmi outlined the scale of fraudulent activity detected across Malaysia's digital landscape and underscored the ongoing challenge posed by organised deception on social networks.
Breaking down the problem by platform, Fahmi revealed that Facebook hosts the largest share of identified scam content, accounting for 53 percent of all removed posts, while TikTok follows closely with 39 percent of the total. The remaining eight percent is distributed among other social media services, illustrating how scammers have concentrated their efforts on the two most widely used platforms in Southeast Asia. This distribution reflects the demographics of Malaysian social media users, with Facebook maintaining significant penetration across older age groups and TikTok proving particularly attractive to younger audiences who may be less equipped to recognise fraudulent schemes.
The removal requests filed by MCMC since the start of January represent 27 percent of the commission's total content moderation actions during this period. Significantly, fraudulent material ranks among the most frequently flagged categories alongside other harmful content, highlighting that scam crimes have become a primary concern for Malaysia's digital safety ecosystem. The prevalence of deceptive content underscores a broader regional pattern in Southeast Asia where social media fraud has evolved into a sophisticated, often transnational criminal enterprise that exploits platform features and user trust.
Most of the scam material detected by MCMC operates through fraudulent accounts, a tactic that allows perpetrators to establish false credibility and evade accountability. These fake profiles frequently impersonate legitimate businesses, government agencies, or trusted public figures to manipulate victims into surrendering personal information or transferring funds. The sophistication of modern social engineering means that traditional warning signs have become increasingly difficult for ordinary users to identify, particularly when scammers invest effort into creating authentic-looking profiles complete with stolen imagery and fabricated verification markers.
To combat this growing threat, Fahmi urged Malaysian citizens to adopt a multi-layered approach to information verification. The public should cross-reference suspicious content through dedicated fact-checking platforms including Sebenarnya.my and MyCheck, which are specifically designed to help Malaysian users distinguish legitimate information from coordinated disinformation campaigns. Simultaneously, Fahmi recommended relying on established mainstream media outlets as primary information sources rather than trusting unverified social media posts, a recommendation that reflects increasing government and civil society focus on media literacy as a defence against online manipulation.
Beyond removal efforts, Malaysia's regulatory framework has been expanded through the recently enacted Online Safety Act 2025 (Act 866), which introduced two critical compliance codes that became effective on June 1. The Child Protection Code (CPC) establishes specific requirements for safeguarding minors from exploitative and harmful content, recognising that younger users face particular vulnerability to predatory behaviour and financial manipulation. Complementing this, the Risk Mitigation Code (RMC) sets broader standards obligating platforms to identify and suppress content that threatens property or poses physical danger to users, capturing the full spectrum of harmful material from fraud to incitement.
Fahmi stated that the government has allocated several months for identified social media platforms to achieve full compliance with both codes, acknowledging that implementing systematic content moderation across billions of posts requires substantial coordination and resource deployment. This grace period reflects a pragmatic regulatory approach that recognises platforms cannot instantaneously transform their moderation infrastructure, yet simultaneously signals that the government expects measurable progress and institutional commitment to user safety. Malaysia's regulatory strategy differs from more punitive approaches adopted elsewhere, instead emphasising collaborative implementation with commercial incentives for platforms to comply.
The minister highlighted the substantial operational burden imposed by content removal requests, noting that MCMC personnel require between 30 to 45 minutes to process each takedown request through formal documentation and submission procedures. This time-intensive workflow, multiplied across 127,000 individual pieces of content, represents a significant allocation of government resources and underscores why systematic platform compliance with safety codes is preferable to case-by-case removal operations. Each removal action necessitates identifying the specific content, verifying its violation of applicable standards, documenting the evidence, and communicating formally with platform representatives, creating bottlenecks that delay protection of vulnerable users.
The cost implications extend beyond staff time, encompassing the broader burden on government budgets already stretched across multiple social priorities. Fahmi's transparency about these operational realities serves to justify the regulatory approach emphasising platform responsibility rather than direct government intervention. By requiring platforms to implement their own robust content moderation systems aligned with Malaysian standards, regulators aim to achieve at-scale protection without continuously expanding government enforcement capacity.
The concentration of scam content on Facebook and TikTok reflects these platforms' market dominance in Malaysia but also raises questions about their investment in local moderation capacity. While both companies maintain regional offices and employ content moderators, critics argue the pace of removal remains inadequate relative to the volume of user-generated content. For Malaysian users, the implication is clear: social media engagement requires heightened vigilance, and platform providers must be held accountable through both regulatory pressure and user awareness campaigns.
Looking forward, Malaysia's regulatory framework positions the country as a regional leader in addressing online safety through comprehensive legislation, though enforcement effectiveness will depend on sustained platform cooperation and resource allocation. The preliminary figures released by Fahmi indicate that the problem remains substantial, suggesting that regulatory measures introduced this year have successfully increased detection and removal capacity. However, the ongoing nature of scam operations means this remains a continuing challenge requiring evolving strategies and international cooperation to address the cross-border dimensions of digital fraud affecting Malaysian citizens.
