Breaking
UMNO-PAS cooperation only to seize Anwar's power, using Malay unity as excuse – AmanahMalaysia knocked out of Merdeka Cup women's semifinalsOutrage as China programmer’s toilet death ruled non-work-related for being ‘not at desk’Social assistance spending rises 6.1% in 2025PalawanPay targets physical card rollout in Q4Kelas Sekejap expands AI learning app to schools and enterprisesGoogle offers 12-month free AI Plus subscription to Malaysian studentsPoverty rate falls to single digits in the Philippines as incomes outpace thresholdsChinese insurer Ping An eyes Hong Kong ETFs as Beijing greenlights cross-border investmentSickKids discloses data breach exposing employee and job applicant detailsGitLab’s critical CVE-2026-19478 is under active exploitation within days of disclosure.Khazanah affirms governance push after third-quarter board meetingQR code payments launched for ShopeePay users in ChinaBanjarbaru delays school start times as haze worsensLuxury sales drop more than 10% in China as tax crackdown bitesCDL net profit surges 230.7% in first half on Lumina Grand recognitionTrade Minister sets US$25 billion Trade Expo Indonesia 2026 targetTeladan Group swings to RM9.31 million profit in 2QFY2026 on higher progressive billingsAI Living @ i-City to launch in Shah Alam with four agenciesNevada approves 8,000 robotaxis for Tesla, Uber and WaymoUMNO-PAS cooperation only to seize Anwar's power, using Malay unity as excuse – AmanahMalaysia knocked out of Merdeka Cup women's semifinalsOutrage as China programmer’s toilet death ruled non-work-related for being ‘not at desk’Social assistance spending rises 6.1% in 2025PalawanPay targets physical card rollout in Q4Kelas Sekejap expands AI learning app to schools and enterprisesGoogle offers 12-month free AI Plus subscription to Malaysian studentsPoverty rate falls to single digits in the Philippines as incomes outpace thresholdsChinese insurer Ping An eyes Hong Kong ETFs as Beijing greenlights cross-border investmentSickKids discloses data breach exposing employee and job applicant detailsGitLab’s critical CVE-2026-19478 is under active exploitation within days of disclosure.Khazanah affirms governance push after third-quarter board meetingQR code payments launched for ShopeePay users in ChinaBanjarbaru delays school start times as haze worsensLuxury sales drop more than 10% in China as tax crackdown bitesCDL net profit surges 230.7% in first half on Lumina Grand recognitionTrade Minister sets US$25 billion Trade Expo Indonesia 2026 targetTeladan Group swings to RM9.31 million profit in 2QFY2026 on higher progressive billingsAI Living @ i-City to launch in Shah Alam with four agenciesNevada approves 8,000 robotaxis for Tesla, Uber and Waymo
Economy

Scammers move to RCS and iMessage as SMS links blocked

Scammers are using Rich Communication Services (RCS) and Apple’s iMessage to send phishing links after Malaysia’s telecoms regulator barred hyperlinks in SMS, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said.

Source: The Star Malaysia · August 20, 2026 at 1:44 PM · AI-assisted report

Corroborated

KUALA LUMPUR, 20 AUGUST 2026 —

Listen to this article

DomainFork Audio · read aloud

Scammers are using Rich Communication Services (RCS) and Apple’s iMessage to send phishing links after Malaysia’s telecoms regulator barred hyperlinks in SMS, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said.

Market Impact

Telecommunications fraud deputy director Mohd Amirul Hakim Abdul Rahim said the shift followed MCMC’s enforcement of a directive that blocked hyperlinks, callbacks and requests for personal data in official SMS messages. “For SMS, MCMC has enforced a directive … prohibiting hyperlinks, requests to call back numbers or requests for personal details through official SMS,” he told the National Digital Scam Forum on Aug 20. “So they shifted to RCS and iMessage.”

The forum was held alongside the launch of the 2026 National Anti-Scam Awareness Programme by Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.

OTT services such as WhatsApp and Telegram are also being used to spread phishing links, according to Mohd Amirul. MCMC will now engage with platform providers to explore controls akin to those applied to SMS, he said.

For suspected fraudulent content such as illegal investments or impersonation of financial institutions, MCMC verifies the material with the Securities Commission Malaysia or Bank Negara Malaysia before issuing blocks or takedowns. “Investment-related cases would be referred to the Securities Commission Malaysia, while cases involving banking would be verified with Bank Negara or relevant banking institutions,” he said.

Bank Negara LINK and offices department deputy director Hasjun Hashim urged the public to be alert to syndicates that pressure victims into registering companies for mule accounts. Digital banks rely on electronic know-your-customer checks using ID documents and facial recognition, she said, adding that victims who discover accounts opened without their consent should file complaints with their banks within 14 days or escalate to Bank Negara.

National Financial Crime Centre director-general Datuk Seri Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil and Selangor commercial crime investigation department chief SAC Mohamad Rosni Mohamed Lazim also spoke at the forum.

Related: Apple · Bank Negara Malaysia

Reporting based on The Star Malaysia. Figures and claims are subject to revision as the story develops. DomainFork publishes editorial context, not investment advice — see our editorial standards.