SHAH ALAM, Sept 12 — The National Registration Department (JPN) has yet to detect any cases involving cloned or forged MyKad chips, despite identity card forgery remaining a concern, said Putrajaya JPN Enforcement Division deputy investigation director Zalipah Ramli.
She added that cases detected so far involved physical cards, while the chips were secure, saying fake MyKad chips are usually too damaged and cannot be read during verification.
“Based on the operations conducted by JPN, we have yet to find a MyKad chip that has been successfully cloned or forged,” she said on Media Selangor’s Bicara Semasa programme.
Zalipah also said among suspicious features of forged MyKad are the card’s thickness and the quality of its printed text, which may appear blurred or less sharp than that on the genuine MyKad.
However, she said forged MyKad costing thousands of ringgit could be difficult to identify through physical inspection alone and would require biometric elements and JPN’s verification system for confirmation.
She said one modus operandi detected involved replacing the photograph on an identity card for another person’s use. This was detected when the user’s fingerprint didn’t match JPN’s system records.
“When biometrics are screened, the system will show that the fingerprint does not match or does not match any record in the JPN system,” she said.
Zalipah explained that JPN has conducted 653 operations nationwide, including in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan, from January to August 15, which led to the arrest of 262 people for identity card-related offences.
The remaining 71 arrests involve offences under the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1957, including providing false information during birth registration or submitting fake documents.
She said identity documents were also found to have been used to obtain employment, medical facilities and government subsidies or assistance, including BUDI95 and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA).
JPN has received complaints from MyKad holders who discovered their identity cards were used by others without their knowledge.
Zalipah reminded people not to lend their MyKad to others or use an identity card that does not belong to them, as they could be prosecuted in court and, upon conviction, face up to three years’ prison, a fine of RM20,000, or both.
