Awareness vital in curbing cyber crimes, human trafficking
TAWAU: Awareness and action are very important main steps in efforts to overcome and curb cyber crimes and human trafficking effectively and holistically.
This is because these issues should be dealt with seriously through continuous dissemination of information and awareness at every level of the community regardless of age, race and standing.
Ministry of Communication and Multimedia (KKMM) deputy secretary-general (policy) Shakib Ahmad Shakir said that awareness and mutual action by all parties are very important and must coincide as key steps to address and eradicate these two crimes more effectively and holistically.
Speaking at the opening of the briefing on Awareness on Cyber Crime Prevention and Human Trafficking issues at the Tawau State Library auditorium yesterday, Shakib gave an assurance on the commitment of the ministry to cooperate and eradicate these two crimes to the grassroots.
He hoped the briefing can give clear explanation and understanding to the participants in order for them to be able to disseminate the issue on a regular basis, comprehensively, firmly and effectively to the whole community in Sabah.
Efforts to deal with cyber crimes, he said, was announced by the minister, Gobind Singh Deo, on October 3, 2018, as a result of increasing numbers of various types of cyber crimes reported.
Among these are online fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft and data hacking which has resulted in losses of up to hundreds of thousands of Ringgit.
According to data from the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), there were a total of 10,203 recorded fraud cases involving cyber crimes in 2017.
Meanwhile until October 3, 2018, there were 9,313 cases reported. The four highest cases include telecommunications fraud (including the Macau Scam), non-existing loans, 419 scams and frauds regarding online purchases.
He said this program is part of KKMM’s commitment to implement the agenda to promote and publicly raise public awareness with the aim to educate the public about telecommunications crime.
To ensure the effectiveness of the campaign, he said KKMM has worked closely with strategic partners consisting of the media, PDRM and all agencies and the departments under the KKMM. In addition, he said, Bank Negara Malaysia, NGOs and community leaders are also involved as strategic partners.
On cyber crime, he said three campaign terms had been agreed upon and applied, namely, Cyber Crime, Fraud Calls and Love Scam, while two hashtags have been used as a reminder, which are #ScamAlert and #JanganTerperdaya.
In the campaign to address these cyber crimes, he said KKMM had placed six target groups that need to be approached and informed about this campaign, which are the pensioners, middle class citizens, working women, school students and graduates, which KKMM intends to reach through the campaign until the end of 2019.
Shakib said starting from October 2018, KKMM had set up promotion and publicity committee awareness campaigns and cyber-crime prevention aggressively and implemented the integrated efforts through the electronic media, printed media and informative education and by organizing briefings to key communicators.
For anti-trafficking in persons, he said KKMM had been involved in the campaign since 2007. The objective of the campaign is to improve public awareness and knowledge on the issue of trafficking in persons as well as creating integrated strategy in implementing publicity activities and promotion by cooperating with various agencies, associations and non-governmental bodies at all levels.
He said the media and publicity committee on anti-trafficking in persons and anti-trafficking in migrants (MAPO) had carried out its tasks effectively by increasing the public’s understanding of crime on trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, forced domestic service and other offenses under the AntiTrafficking in Persons Act 2007.
Shakib said he fully supported the proactive action by various parties to make the campaign a success. The collaboration is very important considering that both of these crimes showed an increasing trend which is worrying.
Sophisticated communication technology has changed the information landscape of people, thus, KKMM plays an important role in handling the various challenges through awareness among the community on safety when browsing the internet, encouraging self-regulation through the use of parental control software and implementing a tighter law enforcement action.
He hoped through the briefing program, the departments and agencies under the KKMM will implement these programs at the state and local levels to provide awareness and understanding to the public.
Shakib also appealed to all to keep track of their children’s movement and family members regarding their activities, include controlling internet usage so that they are not easily influenced and become victims. He also hoped that all parties can work together to give a strong commitment to the government in order to prevent, educate and eradicate these two crimes.
The speakers at the program were Advocacy and Outreach Division deputy director, Norzakiah Othman, Commercial Crime Investigation Department, Cyber & Multimedia Crime Investigation deputy director, PDRM Bukit Aman, SAC Victor Sanjos, and Task Force for the Council of Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti- Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) head, DSP Hadzwan Zulkefle.
Also present were Strategic Communications Division secretary, Datuk Haji Almain Haji Ajirul, Tawau Municipal Council president, Alijus Sipil, State Information director, Norzawiyah Bulka, Tawau Library head, Salmah Fazul Rahman, heads of departments and agencies under KKMM and senior officers and key communicators of KKMM.