The ASEAN Foundation, with support from Google.org, has launched the Scam Ready ASEAN program in Malaysia to provide communities with practical skills to identify, question and respond to online scams.
The Malaysia rollout follows the program’s regional launch earlier this year and will provide digital safety education for youth, adults and senior citizens nationwide. The initiative aims to strengthen digital resilience by helping communities recognize suspicious activity and respond to potential scams.
“As digital adoption continues to grow across the region, scams are also becoming increasingly sophisticated,” said Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation. He said Scam Ready ASEAN focuses on practical skills to help individuals identify scam tactics, make informed decisions and take action when confronted with potential scams, including phishing, impersonation, fraudulent investment schemes and AI-enabled deception.
Scam Ready ASEAN expands community training in Malaysia
The Malaysian program is supported by social impact agency Ratio:Cause, which will work with local partners to deliver scam awareness training, guided gameplay and community outreach. A central component is the Be Scam Ready game, an interactive learning tool that uses role-playing scenarios based on real scam patterns. Participants can practice identifying common tactics involving emotions, urgency and trust in a simulated environment.
The program will also train community-based Master Trainers to conduct scam awareness sessions for students, young adults, parents and senior citizens. Scam Ready ASEAN aims to reach 9,500 people across Malaysia through these activities.
Ratio:Cause Executive Director New Su Shern said the program would use community members and local voices to help improve scam awareness. “We’re excited to help build that resilience from the ground up through Master Trainers and community voices that people already know and trust,” she said.
The initiative will also involve eight community volunteers known as ASEAN Digital GrandPals, who will focus on supporting senior citizens in their communities through the Be Scam Ready game and other scam awareness activities. Malaysians interested in supporting scam awareness activities can apply to become Master Trainers or ASEAN Digital GrandPals, with applications now open until 12 September 2026.
Pokdepinion: Everyone stands to benefit when scammers can’t penetrate our populace.
