Malaysia Pulse delivers breaking news, politics, business, sports and lifestyle coverage from Malaysia and Southeast Asia — trusted, timely and independent.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced plans to tackle misleading subscription practices and phantom discounts as part of a broader response to the cost-of-living crisis affecting British households.
A Sessions Court has ordered 'Datuk Red' Datuk Seri Adenan Abu and his company to pay RM1.57 million to 17 land buyers in a civil case involving a disputed property transaction in Sungai Semungkis, Selangor.
France has enacted a sweeping telemarketing ban requiring businesses to obtain explicit consent before contacting consumers, effective August 11. The legislation imposes substantial fines and threatens the Moroccan call centre industry, which depends heavily on the French market.
Malaysia's High Court has ruled that Zurich Takaful can void insurance policies obtained through fraudulent means, finding that the insurer's agent bypassed crucial underwriting procedures while chasing commissions.
A Henan father has sued four major Chinese gaming firms seeking symbolic damages and mandatory enforcement of age-protection rules. His son's severe addiction sparked the case after a medical emergency.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft for potentially deceiving personal and family customers about Microsoft 365 subscription costs following the integration of its Copilot AI assistant.
Malaysia's Ministry of Housing documented 303 troubled private housing projects valued at RM40.25 billion affecting over 43,000 units as of June. Selangor records the highest number of abandoned developments.
South Korea is rolling out stricter penalties for tourism businesses that overcharge guests, including five-day suspensions for hanok operators and immediate 30-day licence revocation for taxi drivers breaching price rules from August 4.
Penang is experiencing a significant rise in consumer tribunal claims as public awareness of dispute resolution rights expands. The state resolved 775 cases last year, reflecting growing confidence in the accessible and affordable TTPM process.
Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh emphasizes that universities must cooperate by providing affordable business premises to expand the Menu Rahmah programme to more campuses across Malaysia.
Malaysia's government is launching a nationwide operation to tackle unsafe electrical products flooding the market through e-commerce and retail channels. Seven agencies will coordinate enforcement efforts targeting 34 categories of appliances lacking proper certification.
AirBorneo has cautioned passengers against purchasing tickets through third-party websites, citing cases of scalping and unauthorised reselling that expose travellers to hidden charges and booking complications.
A New York judge has rejected Zelle's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed by state Attorney General Letitia James, who alleges the payment platform knowingly prioritized profits over safety, enabling fraudsters to steal over $1 billion.
A Chinese content creator has been sentenced to 20 months imprisonment for producing a fabricated crash-test video that falsely claimed Xiaomi's SU7 electric vehicle had critical safety defects. The case reflects Beijing's intensified crackdown on automotive misinformation.
Kelantan's state government will increase inspections of food premises to address concerns over halal compliance after allegations surfaced on social media, with officials urging operators to prioritize shariah standards.
A South Korean teenager has lodged an official complaint about exposure to violent and sexually explicit film content during a domestic flight, sparking debate over in-flight entertainment standards for minors.
A Shah Alam family is suing Nirvana Memorial Park, claiming negligence after two urns containing their parents' ashes disappeared from the facility's columbarium in January.
A water utility company worker in Seremban has been charged in magistrate's courts with defrauding two women of a combined RM108,500. The accused faced separate charges relating to the two victims.
Meta disclosed that four US states are seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties in an upcoming August trial over claims the company deliberately designed its platforms to addict youth and concealed safety risks.
Artificial intelligence has eliminated traditional scam red flags, making fraud harder to spot. From deepfake videos of celebrities to near-perfect counterfeit websites, cybercriminals now deploy sophisticated tools once available only to major corporations.
A Chinese citizen has entered a not guilty plea in Kuala Lumpur regarding charges of defrauding a gold merchant by selling gold-coated base metal jewellery as authentic gold worth RM37,054.
Malaysian consumers increasingly face frustration with AI-powered customer service chatbots designed to deflect rather than resolve issues, creating repetitive 'doom loops' that leave people unable to reach human help.
Police in Ipoh have arrested a mother and two adult children for impersonating welfare officers and conning an elderly woman out of jewellery worth approximately RM8,000, in what authorities say is part of a broader pattern of targeted fraud.
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Police in Perak have arrested a woman and her two adult children suspected of cheating a 67-year-old woman of RM8,000 worth of jewellery. The suspects allegedly posed as hospital employees offering financial assistance, exploiting the victim's vulnerability at a medical facility.
Authorities arrested a woman and her two adult children in connection with a welfare aid fraud targeting an elderly woman. The suspects had deceived the victim and sold her jewellery worth RM8,000 to a pawnshop.
Sabah's youth minister has urged intensified digital literacy efforts following a surge in online scams and cyberbullying complaints in the state's east coast region during the first six months of the year.
Malaysia's government will implement minimum pricing and standardised service requirements for umrah packages to safeguard pilgrims and prevent operators from offering unsustainably cheap deals that compromise quality.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated an investigation into StubHub after numerous complaints from World Cup ticket buyers who never received their tickets despite purchasing them through the resale platform.
Bank Negara Malaysia is urging customers to report cases where they are charged RM1 interbank withdrawal fees when using ATM machines belonging to their own banks, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil announced.
Malaysia's Ministry of Domestic Trade launched 'Jom Beli Selamat' campaign with Shopee and police to tackle soaring online fraud. Losses exceeded RM4.54 billion in 2024-2025 across 101,000 cases.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has advised Malaysian bank customers encountering RM1 charges for interbank ATM withdrawals to report the matter to Bank Negara Malaysia, which can pursue regulatory action against non-compliant financial institutions.