New Meta #TakNakScam 2022 initiatives to enhance vigilance amongst the public

The new digital age allows us to easily connect with friends and family regardless of distance and do our banking with ease from the comfort of our couch but it’s a double edged sword.

Social media though it’s a double edged sword. That ease of connectivity also allows malicious actors to target the vulnerable with a host of scams that can fleece the unwary which is why Meta Malaysia is announcing a new series of initiatives with their ongoing #TakNakScam awareness campaign in collaboration with key partners in Malaysia.

Nicole Tan, Country Director, Meta at Malaysia delivering her keynote speech

What is the #TakNakScam Initiative in Malaysia?

The #TakNakScam initiative was originally kicked off in July 2022 to educate the public on how to spot, check and report on the deceptive tactics used by scammers and even enjoyed support from local celebrity Chef Wan. For 2022, Meta Malaysia has kicked off enhanced initiatives for the campaign that focus on the top 5 most prevalent online scams which are money muling, investment scams, job scams, illegal loans and e-commerce scams. 

In that regard, the enhanced #TakNakScam campaign will emphasise three important steps which are – “Spot, Check, Report” that is to identify, verify and report malicious actors.

Under this umbrella, Meta will initiate a digital literacy programme in Bahasa and English that aims to increase public education on scams including means to identify tackle and report these activities, engage the public with different content formats like IG AR filters and also add a new emphasis on educating sellers on ways to protect their customers and brand experience on Facebook, IG and other Meta platforms.

The campaign announcement was also graced by representatives from the Royal Malaysian Police’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department (PDRM CCID), Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP), Securities Commission Malaysia (SC), Bursa Malaysia Berhad, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM), The Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) and Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA).

“New consumer behaviours around online buying and browsing habits that emerged during the pandemic will remain entrenched amongst Malaysians. We recognize that more Malaysians are going online to build meaningful connections with people, communities and businesses they love. Together with our partners, Meta is committed to providing safety tools and resources so that Malaysians can stay safe on our platforms. We will continue to find new ways to reach out to everyday Malaysians, raise awareness, encourage critical thinking so that people remain vigilant and empower them to take action to protect themselves,” said Nicole Tan, Country Director, Malaysia at Meta

Encik Jawahar Ali Ameer Ali, General Manager, Consumer & Investor Office of the Securities Commission Malaysia of the Securities Commission commented that, “It is unfortunate that scammers capitalise on fears and hardship stemming from major crises like Covid-19 outbreaks to manipulate vulnerable and unsuspecting members of the public. We would like to remind the public to not fall for promises such as: too good to be true investment opportunities promising unusually guaranteed high return, with no risk.

Ms A. A Deepa, Head of Education, Bursa Malaysia (“The Exchange”) said, “The Exchange emphasises the importance of educating the public to remain vigilant of investment scams. We educate the public via our financial literacy programme called Sens-Ability which creates awareness on personal money management, proper investing and how to be wary of financial frauds. Our participation in the #TakNakScam campaign will further amplify our continued efforts to warn investors against investment scams.”

Mr. Baskaran Sithamparam, Senior Manager, FOMCA, noted that the social media platforms had provided a lifeline to many, consumers and businesses alike, during the pandemic. “It is unfortunate that there are many who are using them to cheat guileless consumers. This #TakNakScam campaign is timely, as more people go digital, they need to be more aware of the tactics used by scammers so that they can protect themselves,” he concluded. 

For more details on Meta’s #TakNakScam initiative and to report about potential scams on Meta’s platforms, check out their page at https://wethinkdigital.fb.com/my/en-my/