KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 837 Malaysians have been detained overseas for involvement in online scam activities as of Nov 8, says Malaysia Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan.

He said the figure only covers online fraud offences and does not include other criminal cases involving Malaysians abroad.

“In the last week alone, as at Nov 8, 837 Malaysians have been detained abroad specifically for online scams. That is just one category of offence – there are thousands of other Malaysians being held overseas for various crimes, which is a serious concern for us,” he told the Dewan Rakyat, which is the Lower House of Parliament, on Nov 10.

Datuk Seri Mohamad said the high number of detentions could tarnish Malaysia’s image internationally.

“We want to uplift our country’s image, but when so many Malaysians are detained overseas for crimes that damage our reputation, it becomes a challenge,” he said.

Of those detained for online scams, 765 were Chinese, followed by 34 Malays, 33 Indians and five from other ethnic groups.

The majority were detained in China, with 545 Malaysians held there – 505 men and 40 women. Another 162 were detained in Singapore, comprising 148 men and 14 women.

Other countries where Malaysians were detained included Japan (34), South Korea (22), India (20), Indonesia (11) and Thailand (10).

Mr Mohamad urged Malaysians travelling abroad to be cautious and to familiarise themselves with local laws.

“We advise all Malaysians travelling overseas to always be alert and to understand the laws of the host country. We want our citizens to be responsible travellers who represent Malaysia well,” he said.

He was responding to Ms Wong Shu Qi, who asked whether the government planned to work with airlines to provide pre-departure briefings for Malaysians – particularly inexperienced young travellers – to prevent them from becoming victims or participants in online ...