KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 — Malaysian victims of "fake news” and hoaxes have come out in support of the government’s move to consider laws against the menace, agreeing that the phenomenon must be curbed.

Left unchecked, some expressed concern that the spread of "fake news” could leave Malaysians unable to trust information shared online, saying this was already beginning to manifest.

Writer Chien Fei, 29, said she once spread information alleging Malaysian durians were being rejected by China to her family members.

When it turned out to be false, she said she was mortified.

"Thankfully I only shared to those closed to me and I only realised that it was fake when the authorities verified its authenticity,” she said.

Chien said she was more vigilant now and no longer trusts alert blasts or viral news unless these were verified by the media.

She said she welcomed the government’s move to address "fake news”, adding that it was needed before the problem becomes terminal.

Translator Raja Danial Iskandar Raja Sallehhuddin, 27, said he fell for the controversial hoax claiming that 40,000 Bangladeshis would be flown in to vote in the 2013 general elections (GE13) when it was first circulated.

"I’ve had friends inboxing me fake news on Facebook during GE13 when the smear campaign intensified,” he said.

"Fake news” was also insidious as many would be tempted to propagate the false information without realising that they may be taking part in malicious campaigns, he added.

Some may also think they were doing a good deed by spreading "fake news”, but Raja Danial said it was lazy not to authenticate the information first.

"You are doing more harm than good by not doing your own research first,” he said.

He expressed support for efforts to curb "fake news”, but said laws in the direction should not infringe on the constitutional rights to free speech and expression.

Marketing executive Hayden Lim, 26, said she initially believed a viral message circulated on WhatsApp claiming Parliament would be dissolved in January and the 14th general election held in March after receiving it from her friend.

"I did not think twice because I obtained it from a trusted source and forwarded it to other chat groups without verifying it,” she said.

She only realised she was duped when a friend showed her a news article from December 2017 debunking the information.

Hayden said she had forwarded the "fake news” to her family’s chat group, but was reprimanded by her father for sharing such information without first verifying it.

Now, she said she is suspicious of such news, adding that it was timely for the government to consider action against the phenomenon, which could intensify with the coming general election.

On Tuesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said divulged that a special committee has been formed to look into laws to curb fake news that could threaten political stability and public order.

She said the committee would look at related laws and new provisions to be brought to the Cabinet’s consideration.