KUALA LUMPUR: A person was detained in Cheras yesterday for suspected involvement in phishing activities through short message service (SMS) links.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the arrest was made during an operation conducted jointly with the police, following information from telecommunications provider Maxis.
It said in a statement that the suspect used a vehicle to carry out the phishing activities.
"The suspect would park the vehicle by the roadside to disseminate phishing SMS to active users in the area.
"The suspect's activities were identified through spectrum analysis by the telecommunications provider, which detected spectrum readings emitted from the suspect's communication equipment, also causing interference with network service quality," the statement said.
A search of the suspect's vehicle revealed communication equipment such as smartphones, a GSM blaster, transceiver antenna, and a laptop connected to the vehicle.
"All the equipment, believed to be used by the suspect for sending phishing SMS to deceive users, were seized for further investigation.
"Therefore, the public is reminded not to be deceived and to never click on any links in SMS messages, as instructed by MCMC last year, to protect the public from becoming victims of online fraud," the statement added.
The case is being investigated under Sections 233, 238, and 239 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
"Investigations are also being carried out under Regulation 16 of the Communications and Multimedia (Technical Standards) Regulations (Amendment) 2022, which carries a maximum fine of RM300,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or both, if convicted.
"MCMC urges the public to report any suspicious vehicles with communication devices as described directly to MCMC or the police," the statement added.