THE Government is strengthening cooperation between the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Immigration Department (JIM) to disrupt cross-border criminal syndicates exploiting digital platforms, communication networks and identity systems.
Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two agencies marked a broader whole-of-government effort to strengthen enforcement against increasingly sophisticated and organised criminal networks.
He said modern crimes such as online scams, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, document forgery and identity abuse were no longer confined to physical borders, with criminal networks increasingly relying on digital communications and online platforms.
“The cooperation being formalised is not merely an MoU between two agencies. Instead, it reflects the MADANI Government’s determination to strengthen the country’s enforcement capabilities in facing increasingly complex, organised and technology-driven cross-border crime,” he said in his speech at the MoU exchange ceremony at the Home Ministry in Putrajaya today.
Fahmi said the scale of the threat was evident from the RM958 million in losses recorded through online scams in Malaysia between January and June this year, compared with RM2.9 billion throughout 2025.
He also disclosed that MCMC had received or initiated requests for the removal of 470,593 pieces of harmful online content between Jan 1 and Aug 17, with platforms complying with 436,661 requests, or 93 per cent.
During the same period, MCMC requested the closure of 39 domains, with 38, or 97 per cent, shut down.
A total of 2,139 blocking orders were also issued.
Fahmi said the figures highlighted the need for digital platforms to take greater responsibility for identifying and removing harmful content instead of waiting for intervention by authorities or complaints from users.
“Every platform should act proactively to detect, block and remove harmful content that clearly violates their guidelines and terms of use.
“However, in many cases, action is only taken after a report is made by MCMC or a complaint is received from the public. Such delays give harmful content room to continue spreading and increase the risk of harm to society,” he said.
He said platforms needed to play a more proactive role in maintaining a safe online environment and could not rely solely on reports from enforcement agencies or members of the public.
Fahmi said the increasingly borderless nature of criminal activity required enforcement agencies to move beyond conventional approaches and strengthen intelligence-led operations.
“When crime crosses physical, digital and jurisdictional borders, enforcement responses must also become more integrated through intelligence and information-sharing, identity verification, risk analysis and more structured coordination of investigations,” he said.
He said MCMC and JIM had complementary responsibilities, with JIM overseeing immigration control and national entry points, while MCMC regulates the communications and multimedia sector.
The new cooperation would facilitate stronger information and intelligence-sharing to help identify individuals, communication networks and modus operandi linked to cross-border crime, while also strengthening the capabilities of officers from both agencies.
Fahmi said MCMC was intensifying intelligence-led operations and investigations to detect threats earlier, trace criminal networks and enable enforcement action before illegal activities could expand and cause greater harm.
“Criminals’ modus operandi are constantly evolving through the abuse of communication networks, identities and digital technology,” he said.
He stressed that enforcement alone would not be sufficient and that prevention must also focus on closing loopholes exploited by criminal networks.
MCMC was therefore strengthening the Mandatory Standards for the Registration of End-Users of Public Cellular Services for prepaid services to improve the integrity of registration procedures and prevent identity documents from being misused for criminal purposes.
Fahmi said digital identity verification was also critical in preventing the abuse of online accounts.
MCMC is strengthening measures involving digital identity verification, or eKYC, for social media platforms subject to Malaysia’s regulatory framework, with the aim of improving user safety and supporting enforcement against digital platform abuse.
He said the MoU should result in concrete improvements in enforcement, particularly through faster information-sharing, more effective use of intelligence and closer coordination between investigators.
“Through this cooperation, both agencies will be able to strengthen information and intelligence-sharing, support investigations involving communication and digital elements, and facilitate faster and more coordinated enforcement action against cross-border criminal syndicates,” he said.
Fahmi also called for the whole-of-government approach to be strengthened, saying no single agency had all the capabilities needed to tackle the full chain of a criminal operation.
He said the approach was consistent with the Malaysia MADANI agenda, which emphasises national security, public wellbeing and accountability. - August 18, 2026
