Kuala Lumpur, 8 August 2024 – TrustTech service provider Gogolook and CyberSecurity Malaysia exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in a mutual commitment towards strengthening Malaysia’s cybersecurity measures in the digital space. One of the key strategies of the MOU is the development of a powerful anti-scam app for Malaysians to combat the ever-changing online scams. Gogolook is the developer of Whoscall, the industry-leading anti-scam app and the only one endorsed by PDRM.
The MOU was exchanged by Boice Lin, Chief Business Officer of Gogolook, and Dato’ Ts. Dr. Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab, Chief Executive Officer, CyberSecurity Malaysia during the Cyber DSA 2024 which was held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 6 – 8 August 2024.
Dato’ Ts. Dr. Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab, Chief Executive Officer of CyberSecurity Malaysia, stated, “Scam rates in Malaysia have significantly increased in recent years, highlighting the urgent need for public awareness and effective countermeasures. As the specialist and technical cybersecurity agency under the Ministry of Digital Malaysia, our mission is to educate Malaysians on digital vigilance and provide them with a real-time first line of defense. We believe the best way to combat these threats is through technological solutions. Gogolook’s success with its anti-scam app Whoscall gives us full confidence that our partnership will effectively protect Malaysians from online scams.”
Commenting on the partnership with CyberSecurity Malaysia, Boice Lin, Chief Business Officer of Gogolook, said, “Generative AI’s development will make scams even harder to detect, increasing the public’s need for tech-based anti-scam tools. We are also leveraging AI to develop new anti-scam applications. Gogolook not only offers free anti-scam products like Whoscall, which has over 100 million downloads globally, but also helps businesses implement AI anti-scam technologies, protecting customer safety and earning their trust. With our shared goals of making the digital space safer, we are confident that Gogolook and CyberSecurity Malaysia’s plans to develop a robust, AI-driven app for Malaysians will effectively equip the people of Malaysia with the latest technology to combat scams and fraud.”
As a foundation member of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), Gogolook partners with government and industry organizations in Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea and the Philippines to exchange experiences in combating scam activities across these markets. In 2023 alone, Whoscall identified 4.7 billion unknown calls and text messages for its global users, including 66.41 million scam calls and 270 million scam text messages.
Man Yong, Country Marketing Lead of Gogolook, said, “In Malaysia, Whoscall is the only trusted anti-scam app approved and endorsed by authorities including the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM). Our study on Whoscall data indicates that within the first half of 2024, Whoscall detected over 1.4 million scam calls and messages in Malaysia, compared with 1.6 million scam calls in 2023. However, the good news is that the pick-up rate of scam calls has dropped from 10.35% to 6.30%. This reduction highlights the effectiveness of Whoscall’s technology and the effort of creating anti-scam awareness by working closely with authorities like PDRM & CyberSecurity Malaysia.”
“As scam tactics evolve, Whoscall’s powerful AI-powered anti-scam detection scope has expanded from just calls and text messages to other essential anti-scam features such as Web Checker and ID Security. The Whoscall Web Checker feature helps users ensure a link’s safety quickly and conveniently, protecting users from clicking on phishing links by mistake. Statistics from Whoscall Annual Report 2023 shows that among the phishing URLs detected by Whoscall Web Checker, 13.4% asked users to register an account, 11% tried to entice users to download a software while 4% asked users for payment,” added Man Yong.
Whoscall’s user base continues to expand, reflecting its effectiveness and the increasing awareness of online scam in Malaysia. With the signing of the MOU between Gogolook and Cybersecurity Malaysia today, Malaysians can look forward to a more robust, AI-driven app developed by Gogolook specifically for Malaysians, anticipated to be ready by 2025.
