The Malaysian Insight

IT is okay to offer harmless false information when providing personal details required to subscribe to certain websites, said Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Jailani Johari.

He said such white lies could prevent users from falling victim to cybercrimes, adding that Malaysians should not be “too truthful” online.

“When we are asked to subscribe to something, it’s not necessary for us to be completely honest when giving our information.

“It’s okay to lie a bit to prevent (cybercrimes) from happening,” he said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat.

The Hulu Terengganu MP was responding to a supplementary question by Tanah Merah MP Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz, who brought up reports that data on telecommunications companies’ customers had been stolen and offered for sale.

Jailani advised Malaysians to be careful when clicking on links.

“The modus operandi is hacking and phishing, or physically, they will steal laptops or handphones. They will also use social media to manipulate personal information.”

The Lowyat.net forum recently reported that more than 50 million records from telco firms were being sold, including data on customers’ names, addresses and mobile phone numbers, and even Malaysians’ MyKad information.

It said databases of Malaysians’ personal details, obtained from Jobstreet.com and the Malaysian Medical Association, among others, were being sold for bitcoins on its forums.

Lowyat said the “mother lode” was customer data from telco companies, including Celcom, DiGi, Maxis, TuneTalk and Umobile. – November 15, 2017.