CelcomDigi empowers civil servants as advocates for scam awareness in Malaysia

PETALING JAYA, 18 NOVEMBER 2024 - Rising scams, fraud, cyberbullying, and misinformation in the digital landscape demand a united, whole-of-society approach to protect communities and build online resilience. In continuously addressing this growing social epidemic, CelcomDigi Berhad ("CelcomDigi") has launched a targeted Scam Awareness and Online Safety Workshop to empower civil servants and community leaders to become active advocates for online safety.

This intensive workshop series targets key ministries that directly engage with various segments of society, such as the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Women, Family, and Community Development, and the Ministry of Education. CelcomDigi conducts this workshop series in collaboration with experts from Malaysian Cyber Consumer Association, Yayasan Digital Malaysia and Meg Richy Psychotherapy Consultancy, to equip civil servants with critical knowledge and strategies to identify, prevent, and combat scams within the communities they serve.

The workshops provide in-depth insights into the latest scam trends, tactics, and evolving modus operandi, alongside immersive simulations and practical exercises. Participants will also gain a deeper understanding of the psychological aspects of scams, learning how scammers exploit trust, urgency, and emotions to deceive victims as well as measures to take when encountered with scams. By understanding these dynamics, civil servants can be more effective in creating awareness programmes and advocating against scams and frauds.

CelcomDigi Head of Sustainability Philip Ling said, "Empowering civil servants to understand and recognise scam tactics and digital risks is essential to spreading and scaling online safety knowledge widely. Personnel from these key ministries will be able to curate targeted awareness programmes, educate and create a multiplier effect across the various groups they serve and engage like working adults, senior citizens, lower income communities and even students."

"We need constant reminders of the various threats online especially scams and fraudulent activities because despite high awareness, there is still a gap in understanding how to take preventive actions. Our recent National Scam Awareness Survey 2024 Report revealed that while 85% of Malaysians are aware of online scams, nearly 60% have encountered scams or know someone who has. So, through these intensive workshops, we aim to educate and build a collective voice amongst frontliners to combat scams and online harm. We believe that these key government personnel can become a dynamic community of advocates to drive positive changes in this fight for greater online safety and in building a trusted digital society."

As part of the company's commitment to build an inclusive, sustainable and trusted digital society, CelcomDigi has recently trained more than 30 content creators, social media influencers and radio deejays to amplify online safety and scam awareness through their far-reaching platforms and large followings. Over the years, CelcomDigi has launched various anti-scam campaigns in collaboration with enforcement and government agencies and NGOs including public awareness nationwide roadshows, easy-to-digest infographics and downloadable booklets.

For more information on various internet safety tips and downloadable resources visit CelcomDigi's Safe Internet portal.