KUALA LUMPUR NOV.15: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has cut off 20,025 phone lines between 2018 until 31st October 2021 for SMS spam offences that promotes online gambling and offering loans without licenses.
Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin said, the prevention actions taken by the Ministry through MCMC that has blocked the access to the online gambling websites is to avoid the telephone numbers being abused for criminal use including fraud.
Zahidi added, 4,799 online gambling websites had been blocked from 2018 until 31st October 2021 based on the requests of the Royal Police Malaysia (RPM) for offences under Open Gambling House Act 1953 (Act 289).
“This effort is an ongoing process based on RPM’s applications and information received from the communities. The Ministry through MCMC is also promoting advocation programmes for customers via awareness campaigns nationwide and through social media for the youth and children not to be involved in the online gambling activities,” Zahidi said in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Zahidi was responding to the question raised by Member of Parliament for Parit, Datuk Mohd.
Nizar Zakaria on what are the drastic efforts implemented by the Ministry to solve the “spam” messages promoting online gambling and whether there is any involvement of telecommunication company that collaborates with the syndicate by selling the customer’s personal data.
The Deputy Minister added, based on the records of the Department of Personal Data Protection (JPDP) there is no case of selling personal data by the telecommunication companies.
He also emphasized that to prevent the widespread of online gambling, the Ministry continuously cooperates with the Police in their actions that includes refraining, enforcements and awareness campaigns. – Malaysia World News
