KUCHING: Forty students from St Joseph’s International School were given a crash course on being smart consumers during a Consumer Rights and Awareness Seminar recently.
Organised by the National Consumer Foundation Malaysia (YPNM) Kuching branch with support from the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) Sarawak, the two-hour session aimed to equip young consumers with practical knowledge of their rights and how to act when those rights are violated.
YPNM Kuching Branch chairman Jimmy Ling said the seminar was a meaningful step in reaching out to young consumers.
“This seminar is a good and important step towards reaching out to students and creating awareness among them as young consumers.
“YPNM Sarawak remains committed to educating consumers, protecting their rights, and improving the lives of communities across Sarawak,” he said in a statement.
During the programme, YPNM Kuching Branch vice-chairman Pei Wee Shiung shared how the foundation works with government agencies to safeguard consumer interests, including through the YPNM Counsellor programme and its digital platform, YPNM Connext.
KPDN Sarawak enforcement officer Maruni Langga also walked students through the eight areas of consumer rights, illustrating them with real-life cases involving scams and dishonest merchants.
“There are many situations in daily life where consumers risk being cheated or scammed by merchants.
“When trading on online platforms, students must ensure these platforms are registered with KPDN so they can be protected in the event of fraud or scams,” he said.
