Malaysia Has The Highest Rate Of Data Leaks In Asia

It was recently revealed that Malaysia recorded the highest rate of personal data leaks among Asian countries in 2024. As a result, tens of millions have been made vulnerable to financial fraud and identity theft.

According to a Whoscall annual report, approximately 72.5 percent of Malaysians who checked their data through Whoscall’s ID Security feature found out that their personal information had been compromised.

Source: Whoscall

The report also mentioned that phone numbers are the most commonly leaked form of personal data. However, the most concerning news is that Malaysia has a disturbingly high number of name leaks (89 percent), followed by addresses and e-mails. This poses a high risk of impersonation scams.

Other Asian countries saw a lower number of data exposure rates compared to Malaysia. Regardless, the rate is still high enough to elicit concern. E-mail addresses are noted to be the second most leaked data type in Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, and the Philippines.

These information leaks serve to fuel a surge in scams. Scammers use the stolen details to pose as banks, government officials, and delivery services to trick victims.

The 2024 Whoscall Annual Report by digital risk management company Gogolook also highlighted that number of scam calls in Malaysia nearly doubled last year. It reached 2.98 million calls in 2024, up from 1.63 million in 2023.

Authorities warn that personal data breaches are a key driver of scam-related financial losses. It is noted that such scams reportedly reached RM1.57 billion in Malaysia in 2024 alone.