Guide · Police and courts · 2 min read
Harassment, online and offline
Stalking, threats and insults: what the Penal Code makes an offence.
In plain English · by mylaw.my · not legal advice· Law as at 30 Sep 2026
The short answer
Repeatedly harassing a person, intending to cause, or knowing or when you ought to know that it is likely to cause, distress, fear or alarm to any person about their safety, is the offence of stalking.
Harassment can include following or tracking a person, communicating or trying to communicate with them in any manner or by any means, loitering where they live or work, or giving or sending them things.
Threatening someone with injury to their person, reputation or property, intending to alarm them, or to make them do something they are not legally bound to do, or not do something they are legally entitled to do, as the way to avoid the threat, is criminal intimidation.
If you are in danger now, contact the police.
On this page · 5 parts
Stalking
For stalking, "repeatedly" means on at least two occasions.
Stalking is punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years, a fine, or both.
Threats
Criminal intimidation covers a threat to injure the person or reputation of anyone the person threatened is interested in, as well as the person themselves, and a threat to injure the reputation of a deceased person they are interested in.
Criminal intimidation is punishable by imprisonment of up to 2 years, a fine, or both. If the threat is to cause death or grievous hurt, to destroy property by fire, to cause an offence punishable with death or imprisonment, or to impute unchastity to a woman, the punishment is imprisonment of up to 7 years, a fine, or both.
If the threat is made by an anonymous communication, or the person hides their name or where they live, they can be imprisoned for up to 2 more years on top of that punishment.
Words, gestures and intrusions
Anyone who, intending to insult the modesty of a person, says a word, makes a sound or gesture, or shows an object, intending that the person hears or sees it, or who intrudes on that person's privacy, can be punished with imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine, or both.
Where this applies
Every person is liable to punishment under the Penal Code for acts or omissions against it that they are guilty of within Malaysia.
Laws in this guide
- s 507Penal Code
- s 503Penal Code
Explained in this guide
- s 506Penal Code
Explained in this guide
- s 509Penal Code
Explained in this guide
- s 2Penal Code
Explained in this guide
Ask about your situation
Tell us what’s going on. The answer draws on the laws this guide cites.