CYBERJAYA, September 2 - A ban on prohibited order in Short Message Service (SMS) messages will be enforced starting September 1, 2024.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said in a statement that the enforcement is to protect users from the risk of fraud involving SMS services, such as impersonating authorized parties, including public and private entities to deceive the public.

Prohibited content includes links (hyperlinks), requests for personal information, and callback numbers.

"In this regard, MCMC urges the public to always be aware of SMS containing such prohibited content. These elements in SMS should be considered as high-risk and highly likely to contain elements of fraud," said MCMC.

MCMC also reminds the public to be aware of similar messages sent via other communication platforms such as Google RCS, Apple iMessage, and messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

"Members of the public who continue to receive such SMS can lodge a complaint with MCMC via the complaint website aduan.mcmc.gov.my by providing information such as the sender's phone number or short code, recipient's phone number, location of receipt, and a screenshot of the SMS received," said MCMC in the statement.