With the growing amount of scam calls happening in Malaysia, Gogolook who is behind the popular anti-scam app Whoscall, has officially signed a new MoU with CyberSecurity Malaysia to enhance protection in the digital space.
Being the only app officially endorsed by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), Whoscall not only helped protect Malaysia against malicious individuals but also pushed Gogolook to the forefront. The MoU was signed by Boice Lin, Chief Business Officer of Gogolook, and Dato’ Ts. Dr. Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab, Chief Executive Officer of CyberSecurity Malaysia, during the Cyber DSA 2024 event at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from August 6-8, 2024.
Within the MoU, it stated that the company will be releasing a more advanced version of an AI-driven anti-scam app just for Malaysians and we can anticipate the release of it by next year.
As one of the founding members of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) that collaborates with government and industry organizations across Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, and the Philippines to share insights on combating scam activities, Whoscall’s AI-powered detection capabilities have expanded beyond calls and text messages to include features like Web Checker and ID Security.
The Web Checker feature helps users quickly verify the safety of links, protecting them from phishing attempts. According to Whoscall’s 2023 Annual Report, 13.4% of detected phishing URLs attempted to trick users into registering accounts, 11% tried to get users to download software, and 4% sought payment information.
Here are the statements given by key figures and representatives during the signing event.
“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.” – Dato’ Ts. Dr. Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab, Chief Executive Officer of CyberSecurity Malaysia
“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.” – Boice Lin, Chief Business Officer of Gogolook
“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,” – Man Yong, Country Marketing Lead of Gogolook
