KUALA LUMPUR – More than 10,000 fake accounts misusing the identities of the royal family, including the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong, have been removed since the start of this year, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said.
He stated that the action was carried out by social media platforms following continuous monitoring by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and reports received from various parties between 1 January and 28 March.
“Yesterday, I presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong some rather worrying matters. Based on findings from MCMC, more than 10,000 fake accounts misusing the identities of either the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Raja Permaisuri Agong, or other members of the royal family have been taken down.
“Trend-wise, this has not decreased. Almost every day, MCMC reports the number of fake accounts using names such as the Sultan of Pahang, misusing the identity of the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, the Pemangku Sultan of Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail – it is just too many,” he said after officiating the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Digital Broadcasting Symposium 2026 (DBS 2026) here today.
Fahmi made the remarks when asked about his recent presentation on the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2025 (ONSA) to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim at Istana Bukit Tunku yesterday.
He said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong also instructed the Ministry of Communications and MCMC to take swift and firm action, including enforcing ONSA, to ensure social media platforms comply with national laws.
“This step is crucial to prevent the royal family’s identities from being exploited for fraudulent purposes.
“Unfortunately, at the moment, Meta is extremely slow. They do not take this matter seriously at all, which has caused both MCMC and myself significant disappointment, but we will strictly enforce ONSA.
“At this time, there are several subsidiary instruments that need to be completed and gazetted by the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and we expect that in perhaps a few weeks, if not a month, we will be able to begin enforcement,” he added.
Fahmi also said a meeting with the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) will be held soon to strengthen efforts against fraud involving artificial intelligence (AI), including AI deepfake scams.
He added that the meeting will bring together multiple agencies, including the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), the National Financial Crime Prevention Centre (NFCC), MCMC, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and other relevant bodies. – March 31, 2026