THE second edition of Online Safety IRL: Scam Edition, a national scam resilience programme supported by the Communications Ministry, has concluded after reaching more than 18.3 million Malaysians online through creator-led campaigns, youth advocacy and interactive scam simulations.
The programme equipped 35 youth advocates and content creators with scam awareness and advocacy skills, enabling them to produce more than 360 pieces of educational content that generated 22.3 million video views across social media.
Beyond online platforms, the youth advocates also conducted community engagements involving more than 650 Malaysians, from students to senior citizens, across multiple states.
A key feature of this year’s programme was an interactive scam-spotting simulation that immersed more than 900,000 users in realistic online scam scenarios.
Rather than relying on conventional awareness campaigns, the simulation challenged participants to identify warning signs, make decisions under pressure and experience how scams unfold in real-world digital interactions.
According to the programme organisers, participants demonstrated stronger scam awareness than those in the first edition, becoming more critical, cautious and proactive when encountering suspicious online content.
The programme also found that participants were more willing to report suspicious activity and educate those around them about online safety.
Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah said the programme showed what could be achieved when government agencies, industry players and community partners worked together to strengthen digital resilience.
“The Communications Ministry remains committed to strengthening digital awareness and resilience, particularly against online scams, while ensuring that Malaysians are empowered to navigate the digital environment safely, confidently and responsibly,” he said.
CelcomDigi head of sustainability Philip Ling said community-led advocacy had helped strengthen scam resilience by equipping young changemakers with practical knowledge, data-driven information and preventive tools such as MobileSHIELD.
Meanwhile, Meta’s head of public policy for Malaysia and Brunei, Daniel Lim, said the company’s complementary “Is This Legit?” scam awareness game had been played by more than 26,000 Malaysians, helping users build practical scam-spotting skills.
The programme was implemented by social impact agency Ratio:Cause, whose executive director New Su Shern said the initiative focused on changing behaviour rather than simply raising awareness.
“Rather than relying on awareness alone, we focused on designing behavioural change interventions that are grounded in real-world experiences and built to scale across communities,” she remarked. ‒ Aug 20, 2026
