09/02/2026

LYFE MONDAY | FEB 9, 2026

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Scammers prey on festive gifting

A S Malaysians prepare for Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri, increased reliance on e-payments, QR codes and digital wallets has created opportunities for cybercriminals to hide scams in plain sight, with online threats remaining in the millions during the first quarter for two consecutive years. According to data from the Kaspersky Security Network, more than 4 million web threat incidents were detected in Malaysia from January to March 2025 alone. Cybersecurity experts note that festive payment habits, including the routine use of digital transfers and QR transactions, may leave users less attentive to potential scam risks. Bank Negara Malaysia data showed that e-payment activity averaged 409 transactions per capita in 2024. The momentum continued in 2025 with e-money values reaching RM21.5 billion in May, up more than 70% year-on-year based on industry data. As digital payments become the default for everyday transactions, users

o Beware of QR codes, payment links in circulated messages

redirecting users to spoofed websites designed to capture login credentials or payment details. These scams are deliberately timed to coincide with user behaviour and periods of heightened activity, when high transaction volumes and festive urgency make fraudulent payment requests, codes and links easier to blend into legitimate digital interactions. This behavioural gap is reflected in recent research by Kaspersky, which found that many consumers continue to rely on perceived vigilance rather than technical protection when navigating online payments. In Malaysia, 77% of

Festive payment habits may leave users less attentive to potential scam risks. – 123RFPIC

respondents believe they can identify online risks on their own, while only 52% use cybersecurity tools to p ro t e c t against digital

increasingly act with speed and familiarity, particularly during festive periods linked to gifting and higher spending. Across festive spending cycles, common payment-related scam tactics often take on seasonal disguises. Fraudulent QR codes and payment links are frequently circulated through festive-themed messages, including promotional vouchers, limited time offers, complimentary giveaways or

t h r e a t s and secure digital

transactions.

d o n a t i o n a p p e a l s shared via messaging apps and

options for pre and post-production filmmaking. Cheng said protecting intellectual property and ensuring AI-created content will not be absorbed into other AI models are essential to making the AI Studio work. The AI Studio is working with producers Robert Stromberg ( Maleficent ) and his company Secret City, Kunal Nayyar ( The Big Bang Theory ) and his company Good Karma Productions and former Pixar and ILM animator Colin Brady, as it explores new tools and how best to implement them. The Studio, which launched last August, points to its hit series House of David as an example of how AI could be used in the future. For the second season of the biblical epic, director Jon Erwin used AI combined with live action footage to create battle scenes, seamlessly editing the two together to expand the scope of sequences at lower cost. – Reuters Staying safe as festive payments go digital To reduce risks during festive digital transactions: 0 Be extra cautious with QR codes and payment links, especially those received through messages, group chats or social media. 0 Avoid scanning codes or clicking links tied to unexpected offers, free giveaways or donation requests without first verifying the source through official channels. 0 Pause before completing festive payments or transfers, especially when transactions are prompted by urgency or limited time-claims. 0 Use a security solution with proven anti-phishing protection.

s o c i a l platforms,

Fraudulent QR codes are frequently circulated through festive-themed messages.

Amazon plans to use AI to speed up TV, film production

AMAZON plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the process for making movies and TV shows even as Hollywood fears that AI will cut jobs and permanently reshape the industry. At the Amazon MGM Studio, veteran entertainment executive Albert Cheng is leading a team charged with developing new AI tools that he said will cut costs and streamline the creative process. Amazon plans to launch a closed beta program in March, inviting industry partners to test its AI tools. The company expects to have results to share by May. Cheng described AI Studio as a “startup” operating under Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s “two pizza team” philosophy – keeping the group small enough to be fed by two pizzas. The team consists primarily of product engineers and scientists, with a smaller creative and business contingent. Amazon is publicly embracing AI in response to spiralling

production budgets that limit the number of shows and films companies can finance. The technology will fast-track certain processes to make more movies and TV shows more efficiently. “The cost of creating is so high that it really is hard to make more and it really is hard to take great risk. We fundamentally believe that AI can accelerate, but it won’t replace, the innovation and the unique aspects that humans bring to create the work,” Cheng said in an interview. The move to adopt AI comes as A-list actors such as Emily Blunt have expressed fears about the rise of AI – and particularly AI actress Tilly Norwood, who could make their jobs obsolete. Amazon emphasised writers, directors, actors and character designers will be involved at every stage of production, using AI as a tool to enhance creativity. Like many other tech companies, Amazon is also pushing nearly every

division to find uses for AI and pointed to the successes of the technology as among the reasons it cut about 30,000 corporate jobs since October, its largest layoff ever. That included a number of job cuts at Prime Video. Cheng said AI could help Prime Video overcome some of the inherent challenges of large-scale film and television production. The AI Studio is building tools that bridge what Cheng described as “the last mile” – perhaps a cheeky reference to Amazon’s delivery operation – between existing consumer AI offerings and the granular control directors need for cinematic content. That includes improving character consistency across shots and integrating with industry-standard creative tools. Amazon is leaning on its cloud computing division Amazon Web Services, for help and plans to work with multiple large language model providers to give creators a wider array of