Malaysians No Longer Allowed To Send SMS With Links, Callback Numbers

Last April, the Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission (MCMC) issued a directive to all telcos to block links sent via SMS. The move was to reduce the number of people falling victim to online scams.

And in a statement released by MCMC yesterday, MCMC stated that starting on the 1st of September 2024, the directive banning hyperlinks will be enforced. for all parties. There will be no exceptions. Previously, enterprise sms were exempted until 31 August 2024.

The statement also stated that along with hyperlinks, requests for personal information and a callback number will also be banned.

What is the MCMC ban on sms url links

The directive from MCMC was first issued in February last year. MCMC issued the directive to all telecommunications companies (telcos) to block any url link sent in short message services (SMS).

According to Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching, the directive was given to ensure that cases where someone mistakenly presses on a malicious link and falls victim to a scam no longer happens, Bernama reports.

At that time, Teo stated that the ban on links in SMS will happen gradually over phases. Maxis being the first telco to adhere to this directive, followed by other telcos. The outright ban being enforced starting September 1, 2024.

Still receiving links in your SMS? Here’s how you can report it

In the statement, MCMC also stated that if you’re still receiving any forbidden content in your SMS, you can file a report through MCMC’s report page, which can be accessed here.

Here, all you have to do is provide MCMC with the following information; 

• the sender’s phone number or short code, 
• the SMS receiver’s phone number, 
• location where you received the message, 
• and a screenshot of the message containing the forbidden content.

In their statement, MCMC also reminded Malaysians to be wary of similar messages that are sent on other platforms such as Google RSC, iMessage, WhatsApp, and Telegram.