Domestic Trade Ministry prepares nine channels for Malaysians to report online transaction-related complaints

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) has provided nine ways for the public to channel online transaction-related complaints to curb fraud following the upward trend in online purchases since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced earlier this year.

KPDNHEP Consumerism Movement Division principal assistant director Maisarah Mohd Baidzowi said consumers could channel their complaints to KPDNHEP via the e-Aduan portal at http://e-aduan.kpdnhep.gov.my, Ez-ADU application, contact the hotline at 1-800-886-800 or email to [email protected].

Apart from that, she said KPDNHEP also accepted complaints via WhatsApp at 019-279 4317, the Enforcement Command Center (ECC), State KPDNHEP Enforcement Operations Rooms, via letters addressed to KPDNHEP or by personally heading to a KPDNHEP office.

“The Ministry has established the online complaints channel to reduce physical or face-to-face meetings between the staff at the Consumer Complaints Management Center in the ministry and the public.

“This effort is to ensure that the complaints filing process is in compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) outlined by the government during the MCO period,” he said when interviewed on the ‘Jendela Fikir’ programme aired on Bernama Radio here today.

Commenting further, Maisarah said since the MCO came into force, complaints related to online transactions had increased by 145.6 per cent, namely 8,263 complaints from March 18 to Oct 31 compared to only 3,364 complaints in the same period last year.

She said KPDNHEP had managed to resolve 97.1 per cent or 8,026 of the complaints so far.

According to Maisarah, among the highest complaints related to online transactions were of not receiving the goods or services that had been ordered, and receiving goods not as advertised.

“In situations where goods or services ordered are not received by the complainant, where there is an element of fraud, enforcement action will be taken, with the cooperation of the police as well,” she said. — Bernama