Between Law and Technology: A Qualitative Study of Online Scam Challenges and Legal Responses in Malaysia

Online scams represent one of the most pressing cyber threats in Malaysia, causing significant financial losses and eroding public trust in digital technologies. Despite increasing regulatory efforts, online scams continue to evolve through sophisticated methods that exploit legal loopholes, technological gaps, and human vulnerabilities. This study adopts a qualitative, desktop-based analysis to examine the challenges posed by online scams in Malaysia and evaluate existing legal responses through gathered published data were gathered from scholarly literature, policy documents, official reports, and judicial precedents. Using the matic analysis, the results indicate that four key challenges exist namely financial vulnerability and consumer awareness, rapid technological development, divided legal systems and enforcement restrictions. While Malaysia has enacted key statutes such as the Computer Crimes Act 1997, Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, there remain gaps in the domains of digital literacy, cross-border enforcement, and victim protection. The article ends by suggesting a more cohesive cyber law policy, more financial literacy initiatives and multi-stakeholder efforts to help protect Malaysian society against internet scams.