KUCHING – The Pertubuhan Pengguna Sarawak (PPS), or Sarawak Consumers Association, has raised a serious warning to consumers and business owners after a local real estate professional lost more than RM13,000 due to a social media advertising account being secretly taken over by an unknown foreign company.
According to PPS President, Dr. Wynson Ong Teck Ping, FRSA, the association recently handled a case where a social media ad account was “hijacked” by an event company based in the United States, which added itself as an administrator (Admin) without the user’s knowledge. The unauthorised party used the victim’s account to run advertisements promoting medical measuring devices and pillows — with all transactions charged in U.S. dollars.
The victim only realised the issue after spotting unauthorised charges amounting to RM13,729.40 made within just one hour.
“After PPS intervened and assisted in liaising with the bank, the unapproved transactions were successfully reversed, and the case was resolved,” said Dr. Ong.
He said this incident reflects a rising cyber threat faced by social media advertisers, especially those managing Facebook and Instagram ad accounts.
“Failing to check who has admin access or ignoring account security can result in severe financial losses and reputational harm to businesses,” he added.
Dr. Ong advised consumers not to click on suspicious links or advertisements and to avoid sharing credit card details with unverified sources. Online sellers and freelancers, he said, should routinely check their ad account admin list and restrict access to trusted members only.
He also urged businesses to activate two-factor authentication (2FA), enable security alerts, and use separate payment methods for personal and business purposes.
“This real case serves as a clear warning that online scams and unauthorised access are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Awareness and vigilance are the best defences,” Dr. Ong stressed.
PPS will continue to monitor such cases and assist victims in resolving disputes. The association also reminded the public to practise ‘Bijak Pengguna – Be a Smart Consumer, Stop Scams and Prevent Losses.’
For complaints or assistance, consumers may contact PPS at 017-7109299.
