The end of the year is usually a holiday season and unlimited shopping opportunities. However, it can also be a situation where cybercrime and fraud cases occur rampant. Meta is aware of this and is playing a role in combating fraud by launching a Global Fraud Awareness Campaign.
Among the scams that often occur when shopping online are misleading advertisements, where they promise the lowest offer price and do not receive the product as advertised. This can happen through various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and many more which can also steal personal data, or worse, modify data.
In addressing this issue, Meta has improved the application with several new anti-scam functions. This includes providing users with the ability to see more information about the owner of a WhatsApp account when added to a Group by an unknown contact.
Machine learning (ML) also plays an important role in testing the system to remind users, especially Instagram, to be more vigilant about any potentially suspicious interactions. In addition to launching special warning notifications for users if messages are received that are mixed with fraud, especially on Facebook Marketplace.
As part of its ongoing efforts to protect Malaysian consumers from fraud, Meta has also hosted several fraud awareness campaigns that promote online safety.
Among them are the We Think Digital program that empowers youth with the knowledge to deal with fraud. Creatos IRL involves over 30 content creators to promote online safety. This was followed by the #TakNakScam campaign to help the public be more vigilant against cybercrime threats.