Kuala Lampur, Aug. 25 -- Malaysia's shift to digital payments has been swift and striking. Bank Negara Malaysia recorded 18.4 billion e-payment transactions in 2025 - a 25 per cent increase in just one year. On average, each Malaysian made 538 e-payments.

That progress is worth celebrating. But it also raises a harder question: are our financial judgement and consumer safeguards keeping pace with the speed of digital adoption?

The contrast is difficult to ignore. Bank Negara Malaysia reported that scams had an impact of RM2.8 billion in 2025, while about 95 per cent of reported fraud cases were linked to authorised scams - situations in which consumers themselves transferred money or disclosed credentials after being manipulated.

This ...