KULAI, July 9 — Malaysians have suffered a total loss of RM302 million due to online scams on Facebook and Instagram from 2021 to June this year.

Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Teo Nie Ching said the losses incurred from scams on Facebook amounted to RM232 million, whereas on Instagram, it was RM70 million.

"We have also had a meeting with Meta, the parent company, because we really want to prove that this is indeed a serious issue.

"For the record, the loss recorded from scams on Facebook for 2021 was RM80 million and RM92 million for 2022, but this year up to June, it has already reached RM60 million.

"As for Instagram, although the amount is smaller, some RM20 million in losses was recorded in 2021 and RM25 million in 2022. The losses recorded for the first six months of this year were RM25 million, the same as last year.”

She said this to reporters after handing over a donation worth RM6,000 to Ultimate MMA Fitness & Self Defence today.

Teo also advised social media users to be more aware and become digitally literate to avoid becoming victims of scams.

"During our recent meeting with Meta representatives, we conveyed a clear message regarding the issue. They promised to improve their efforts to prevent this problem from becoming rampant,” said the Kulai Member of Parliament. — Bernama