GEORGE TOWN – Online shoppers have been warned to take extra caution when procuring items through e-shopping as scammers continue to intensify their array of devious schemes.
Malaysian authorities believe that millions of ringgit have been lost to scammers through online engagements in the past two years through various schemes.
These include schemes espousing to allow consumers to earn money initially before they are duped into banking in high amounts as “deposits” for ventures.
The people are reminded that if consumer goods are glaringly cheap and if profits are easily made online, then something is likely amiss.
Of late, authorities here have detected a surge of unlicensed goods being distributed to unsuspecting buyers through e-shopping channels.
Acting on a tip, Penang Domestic Trade and Living Costs Ministry’s enforcement division director Jegan Subramaniam said that an intelligence unit from his division together with three complainants raided a house in Taman Chai Leng in Butterworth last night.
The complainants were from intellectual property specialists Global Trade Shield and Gateskill Risk Ltd who were keeping watch on the movements of unlicensed apparel and footwear through e-shopping peddlers and courier agents here.
They uncovered dubious branded items – 32 unlicensed “Adidas” shoes, 18 pairs of “Nike” shoes, five pairs of “Louis Vuitton”, five “Adidas” slippers and 311 pairs of supposedly branded socks.
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All items are believed to be fake although they have branded names fixed on them
The total haul was RM8,940, Jegan told journalists here.
He urged consumers to be wise in selecting goods, especially those sourced online.
It has been reported that action can be taken on perpetrators of such activities under the Trademarks Act 2019, which imposes a maximum fine of RM15,000 for each of the goods for a first offence and RM30,000 for each of the goods for a second or subsequent offence.
The ministry is stepping up enforcement under the abovementioned act, the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 and the Copyright Act 1987.
In a similar operation in the middle of last year, a total of 43,929 counterfeit items of various brands worth RM1,072,750 were seized by the Kuala Lumpur branch of the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry from a well-known wholesale centre in Jalan Kenanga here.
The ministry had last month expressed concern at the entry of counterfeit goods from abroad without any brands attached, as they make it difficult for the authorities to fully crack down on the sale of such goods.
Kuala Lumpur Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry director Ariffin Samsudin said it was hard to confiscate the goods at entry level because the government does not prohibit the import of clothing or textiles from abroad as long as they do not violate any rules such as the incorrect use of trademarks.
“For example, fake clothing brought in from Bangladesh. Most of them are without any brand, and after passing the authorities’ inspection either at the port or airport, only then will the syndicate attach fake brands with the labels printed in the country.
“So, when brought in, it is not an offence because no company brand is affixed to the items. Because what is patented and registered at the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia is the brand only,” he had said.
The enforcement unit has set up communication links for consumers to reach out and they can be contacted at 019-279 4317 / 019-848 8000 (Whatsapp), http://e.aduan.kpdn.gov.my (the ministry’s complaints portal), 1-800-886-800 (call centre), [email protected] (email, Ez ADU KPDN (smartphone app), and 03-88826088/6245 (operations room)
In a related concern, a report released today by cybersecurity firm Eset Research last year revealed that cybercriminals have been deploying malicious Android apps parading as e-stores for legitimate Malaysian businesses since late 2021 to farm sensitive banking details of customers.
The report said the attacks have come from seven fake websites mirroring the websites of six companies offering cleaning services and one pet store, through which customers are then tricked into downloading the malicious apps onto their smartphones. – The Vibes, June 9, 2023.
