News & Reviews:   scam

Malaysia’s banking industry is stepping up its cybersecurity messaging, as member banks of the Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) and the Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM) jointly urge customers to keep their web browsers and mobile devices fully updated. The move comes amid rising online scams and malware threats that increasingly exploit outdated software and unsupported operating systems.

In a continuous effort to combat online scams, Google has just rolled out a new functionality: Circle to Search and Google Lens can now help you detect scam messages and suspicious texts. Instead of just searching for definitions or images, these tools will analyse messages — like SMS, chat app texts, or social-media DMs — to determine if they might be scams.

If you have been receiving calls but no one is talking on the other side, there is a good chance that it was an AI voice recorder. In a recent warning from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), a fresh scam tactic has emerged that turns silence into danger.

Honestly, we are not surprised by this news. Ever since the pandemic, we have noticed that more scams have been disguised as Facebook ads. The recent news report by Reuters confirmed this, as internal documents reviewed by the media show that Meta projected it would earn about 10% of its 2024 annual revenue — roughly US$16 billion — from advertisements linked to scams and banned goods across its platforms.

Mastercard introduces Mastercard Threat Intelligence, a solution that leverages cyber threat intelligence to combat payment fraud comprehensively. So, what should you know about it?

Maxis has announced a new strategic partnership with Globe Teleservices Pte. Ltd. (GTS), a global telecom solutions provider, to deploy an AI-powered firewall designed to secure messaging and voice traffic across its network in Malaysia. This end-to-end, fully managed service aims to enhance network security, improve service quality, and safeguard millions of Maxis subscribers from fraud and spam.

Ransomware remains a devastating cyber threat, involving organizations from healthcare to education and governments to corporations. Today, Google Cloud announced a new, AI-powered defense for Google Drive particularly for Microsoft Office and Microsoft Windows files.

Malaysia recorded cybercrime losses exceeding RM1.22 billion between January and October 2024, according to Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail. The staggering figure highlights the growing scale and sophistication of online threats — from financial scams and identity theft to data breaches and digital deception.

CelcomDigi is stepping up its cybersecurity game with the launch of MobileSHIELD, a new AI-powered mobile security app designed to help Malaysians take control of their digital safety. From scam protection to identity monitoring, MobileSHIELD offers all-in-one defence against today’s most common mobile threats.

Deepfake and artificial intelligence (AI) powered scams have caused financial losses nearing RM4.2 billion globally to date. In the first half of 2025 alone, losses from deepfake fraud reached RM1.92 billion.

With deepfake scam losses expected to only get worse, is it finally time to restrict access to subscription for Generative AI? How?