Despite various efforts to warn people about scam activities, the problem remains serious in Malaysia. In fact, the sheer scale of scam calls and text messages blocked by authorities indicates that scam activities have evolved into an industrial-scale operation powered by automation, involving robo-diallers, scripted call flows and bulk messaging systems. The Communications Ministry revealed in Parliament that between Jan 2022 and Nov 2025, a staggering 2.3 bln suspected scam calls have been intercepted and 2.5 bln unsolicited SMS messages blocked by the authority. Nearly 187,000 mobile and fixed lines identified as sources of suspicious messaging activity have been terminated. 

In the first 11 months of 2025, 28,698 telecommunications crime cases were reported in Malaysia, with losses amounting to RM715 mln. Due to their frequent usage of mobile phones, more than half of scam victims were young people aged between 21 and 40, with those in the 21-30 age group accounting for 30.6%, while those in the 31-40 age group 23.8%. While the government’s Safe Internet Campaign has been focusing on children and teenagers, young adults need protection as well. Financial institutions, the government, and social media operators need to put in greater efforts to make the telecommunication ecosystem safer.