Sympathy scam: Teo urges vigilance against AI-generated fake donation appeals

KULAI: Social media users are urged to enhance their digital literacy and remain vigilant against the latest "sympathy scam", a fraudulent scheme that is becoming increasingly sophisticated by exploiting artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Deputy Minister of Communications Teo Nie Ching said unscrupulous individuals are misusing AI advances to manipulate distressing situations and elicit public sympathy to run fake donation drives.

As such, she urged social media users to verify the authenticity of such appeals before making contributions, warning that fraudsters were taking advantage of Malaysians' generosity.

"Netizens must be digitally literate, exercise caution and always verify information before making donations. Do not allow irresponsible parties to exploit our soft spot or compassion," she told reporters after a working visit to SJKT Ladang Kulai Besar here today.

She said the misuse of AI-generated visuals was becoming increasingly concerning, with scammers creating emotionally charged content to deceive potential donors.

Teo said the ministry had also received complaints from individuals whose photographs and names were used without permission to solicit donations.

She said that according to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) statistics, social media platforms received a whopping 174,099 requests to remove scam-related posts as of Oct 15 this year, compared with 102,113 throughout last year.

Of this year's requests, 170,633 posts were removed, representing a compliance rate of about 98 per cent.

Teo said compliance was high because most fraudulent posts involved clear-cut cases of deception.

Several suspected AI-generated posts recently circulated on social media, depicting distressing scenes alongside QR codes linked to bank accounts to solicit public donations.

Social media users identified apparent inconsistencies and implausible details in the images, raising suspicions that they had been generated using AI.

Teo said MCMC took such cases seriously and would act against fraudulent content following complaints, including seeking its removal from social media platforms.

She advised individuals whose identities or photographs had been misused to lodge police reports to help authorities trace the bank account holders involved.

She also urged the public to report suspicious online activities to MCMC or the relevant authorities.

Meanwhile, Teo said RM150,000 from the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (MITRA) had been allocated to provide five 86-inch interactive smartboards and related equipment to Tamil primary schools in the Kulai district.

SJKT Kulai Besar, the district's largest Tamil primary school with 830 pupils, received two smartboards, while SJKT Ladang Kelan, SJKT Ladang Kulai Oil Palm and SJKT Sedenak received one each.

During her visit, Teo also inspected the construction of a new RM4.3 million three-storey block at SJKT Kulai Besar, funded by the Education Ministry.

The building, comprising an open hall on the ground floor and eight classrooms on the upper floors, is expected to be handed over to the school by June next year. — BERNAMA