KUALA LUMPUR: The government is drafting a new cybercrime bill to strengthen efforts against online offences nationwide.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah identified the gap between existing laws and current cybercrime realities as a critical enforcement challenge.
Many legal provisions are outdated or insufficiently stringent against increasingly sophisticated fraud techniques.
“More concerning is the absence of a comprehensive act that specifically addresses cross-border cybercrimes, resulting in many cases being left unresolved or unprosecuted.”
“In addition, the penalties imposed are sometimes too lenient and fail to serve as an effective deterrent to offenders or other syndicates,” he told Parliament.
He responded to Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodi’s question about enforcement weaknesses making Malaysia attractive to international scam syndicates.
Limitations in technical expertise and manpower among digital forensic teams pose major challenges.
Many officers remain inadequately equipped to handle new scammer technologies like VPNs, spoofing and encrypted platforms.
“Furthermore, the country’s cyber monitoring and security infrastructure has yet to match that of developed nations, leading to slower and less comprehensive detection and response to digital threats.”
The government has amended existing laws including the Penal Code with new provisions on financial fraud involving mule accounts.
Malaysia combats cybercrime through regional collaboration with joint operations involving neighbouring countries.
Five joint operations in 2022 with Singapore, Australia and Taiwan rescued over 30 love scam and job fraud victims.
Three joint operations in 2023 with Singapore and Taiwan resulted in 21 arrests.
Ten suspects were detained in 2024 through collaboration with Taiwanese and Singaporean agencies in investment scam cases.
Four joint operations this year with Singapore, Indonesia and China led to 45 arrests.
“This shows that such crimes are not confined within the country but have international links,” he concluded. – Bernama
