PETALING JAYA: Telegram has agreed to cooperate with the country's enforcement authorities to clamp down on cyber fraud, says Fahmi Fadzil.
"Telegram has stated its commitment and is ready to work closer with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and police.
"I welcome this cooperation with Telegram to curb crimes that occur through the application," the Communications and Digital Minister said in a statement Monday (June 19).
The breakthrough came after an hour-long meeting between Fahmi, the police, MCMC and Telegram representatives in Bukit Aman on Monday.
Last month, Fahmi said that action would be taken against Telegram if it continued to ignore the government's invitation to discuss and seek a solution on complaints related to user security involving the application.
Earlier this month, MCMC chief regulatory officer Zulkarnain Mohd Yasin said Telegram had risen to be one of the top five platforms with the most cybercrime activities, compared with being in the top 11 between 2019 and 2020.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said that from January 2020 till May 2023, Malaysians lost more than RM45mil due to various forms of fraud through Telegram.
"The government will not remain silent and allow such crimes to hide behind fake identities," he added.
He described the meeting with Telegram as "a good beginning" among various agencies to ensure that Telegram will be much safer for users.
