Malaysian wildlife traffickers use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Shopee and Lazada to sell endangered species via coded messages and encrypted apps
PETALING JAYA: Wildlife traffickers in Malaysia are exploiting social media and e-commerce platforms, turning popular apps and sites into digital black markets for endangered species, according to an expert.
Universiti Malaya department of computer systems and technology lecturer Prof Dr Ainuddin Wahid Abdul Wahab said Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Shopee and Lazada were being used to reach customers while evading detection.
“Traffickers use closed groups, code words, deliberate misspellings, even emojis, and rely more on images than text so that automated filters fail to catch them.”
He said once buyers show interest, negotiations shift to encrypted messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Telegram.
“Accounts are deleted and recreated frequently. Animals are shipped through regular courier services, disguised as harmless goods.”
He likened the trade to “selling stolen goods in a giant mall – the sellers rent stalls, hide price tags and move to back rooms for secret deals”.
Authorities and the platforms are now exploring artificial intelligence (AI), stronger law enforcement and regulatory reforms to tackle the threat.
“Technology acts like CCTV – using AI to identify protected wildlife images, slang terms and shared hash databases so that banned photos cannot simply resurface elsewhere.”
Ainuddin Wahid said Malaysia urgently needs updated laws to compel platforms to remove illegal listings and empower specialist wildlife and cybercrime teams to act swiftly.
He added that cross-border online sales add another layer of complexity.
“The seller, buyer, server and payment route may all be in different countries. Criminals exploit whichever location has the weakest laws.”
He said digital evidence could disappear within minutes yet authorities often require lengthy international procedures to obtain platform or banking data.
“Traffickers also split shipments into small parcels, making them almost indistinguishable from regular delivery traffic.”
Ainuddin Wahid highlighted a troubling shift in marketing tactics.
“Sellers are now using short videos to make exotic pets look cute or luxurious. Many listings resemble legitimate online shops, complete with ratings, product bundles and fast shipping.”
He said processed products such as meat, powders or skins are often falsely marketed as captive-bred, exploiting legal grey areas.
He added that tackling the problem requires strong cooperation between platforms and government authorities.
“It should function like the joint effort against online scams – platforms detect suspicious activity first while the government takes legal action.
“With clear banned-species lists, tighter verification for high-risk sellers and AI monitoring guided by wildlife experts, we can make it far harder for these traffickers to operate.”
