PUTRAJAYA, Aug 15 — Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution urged consumers to be wary of fraud when using online services.
He said this online fraud was becoming common and worsening.
“On average, the ministry gets 2,500 monthly complaints. Of this 26.2 per cent of them are of online fraud,” Saifuddin said during the MyPay service platform launch.
He praised MyPay’s developer, Dapat Vista Sdn Bhd, for providing a platform that allowed users to pay for government-related fees and transactions conveniently, reliably, and safely.
“If not enough steps are taken to stem the increase in online fraud, it could erode public confidence in using such services.
“As a result, this will also lead to a weakening of the government’s efforts to promote digital economy in Malaysia,” Saifuddin said.
In his speech, Saifuddin said the most common forms of online fraud and ethical violation include goods differing from what was advertised or delivered damaged.
He also said delivery times in Malaysia was among the slowest in Asean, taking an average of six days compared for four elsewhere.
Saifuddin then encouraged online businesses to register with the Companies Commission of Malaysia via its Biztrust certification initiative.
“We will continue to raise awareness among online businesses, as Biztrust is an effective way of securing consumers trust,” he said before adding that this was not mandatory.
