Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said more complaints on online transactions have surfaced between March 2020 and Feb 28 this year accounting for 24,150 consumer complaints or 36.45 percent of total grouses received during this period.

He said this indicates a change in the trend towards online transactions during the Covid-19 pandemic and consumers are more aware of their rights including channeling their complaints to the ministry whenever there’s wrongdoing by the sellers.

While launching the national-level World Consumer Rights Day, Ismail Sabri said the rapid growth in e-commerce has resulted in complaints related to online transactions to increase and become the highest kind of complaints.

The Prime Minister said this year’s focus is on the development and adoption of technology that has taken over conventional methods of doing business.

He urged consumers to be cautious when conducting transactions so as to avoid being duped and to check and verify all information before conducting business including negotiations and online payments.

But the Prime Minister also disclosed that according to the Consumer Empowerment Index Malaysia’s score of 63.1 percent shows its level of consumer awareness to be only at the moderate level.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE