By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 9: A 17-year-old secondary school student in Kuching lost RM125 after her profile picture was allegedly stolen and used in an Instagram advertisement to lure payments for access to explicit media.
According to a press release issued by the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) chief Milton Foo, a male classmate discovered the advertisement offering Telegram access to secretly recorded private videos and indecent photos for RM25.
Fearing her personal photo had been used to generate AI-fabricated content, the student asked a friend to contact the scammer via Telegram to gather evidence prior to lodging a police report. However, the scammer claimed the payment method was incorrect and demanded repeated transfers.
The friend made five separate payments via the Boost e-wallet totaling RM125 but entry to the group was never granted.
“Scam syndicates are no longer targeting only adults. Secondary school students are now being targeted,” he said.
Foo explained that perpetrators steal students’ photos and use AI face-swapping technology to fabricate indecent content, which severely violates the privacy and dignity of minors while causing immense psychological harm to the victims.
In response, he urged the Ministry of Finance (MOF), the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) to establish an inter-agency cybercrime task force to monitor social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram.
He said that the unit must crack down on illegal activities including unlicensed money lending, drug trafficking, online gambling, the sale of bank accounts, and cryptocurrency investment scams.
“The government can no longer adopt a ‘treat the head for a headache and the foot for a footache’ approach. The problem must be solved at its root,” he stressed.
Furthermore, Foo advised teachers and parents to monitor children’s smartphone usage and teach them not to click suspicious links or transfer money to strangers.
He reminded the public that creating, distributing, or selling indecent material involving minors constitutes an offence under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, both carrying penalties of imprisonment and fines.
Victims of image misuse are urged to file a police report, notify MCMC for a platform takedown, or contact the SUPP Public Complaints Bureau. — DayakDaily
