ENFORCEMENT and guidelines have to evolve with times in order to curb the usage of dubious prepaid lines by unscrupulous individuals.
Speaking to FocusM, SysArmy Sdn Bhd said the Government is doing all it can to detect and disconnect dubious prepaid lines from flourishing in the country.
“We must understand that the problem is not confined to Malaysia. It’s a global problem and a very complex situation,” said its consultant Alan Yau.
Last week, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah had said that as of last month, the authorities have detected 1,377,862 prepaid lines with dubious registration details.
Of the total, he added, 920,217 lines had been terminated and 457,645 had been updated with valid information.
The Indera Mahkota MP also said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) conducts data verification audit with the National Registration Department (JPN), to check on the accuracy and validity of subscribers’ records.
“This is to prevent misuse by irresponsible quarters to commit fraud,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
Yau said while Malaysia has some good regulations on the sale of prepaid SIM cards, other nations may not have such rules.
“You may have seen on movies, where people purchase travel SIM cards without giving proper details. Some countries don’t really have regulations like ours.
“But in Malaysia, you need to register before purchasing a SIM card. We need to bring our MyKad as well for the purpose,” he said.
On what could be causing the problem, Yau said that some agents representing the telecommunication networks may not be following the regulations set by the authorities.
“Sometimes, they approach foreign workers to sell prepaid SIM cards. These people may end up selling it to other people,” he said.
On what the Government can do to reduce such occurrence, Yau said the Government was mulling the use of a citizen digital identification system to streamline details so that purchases can be monitored.
“With that, everyone will be compelled to bring their MyKad to register for a SIM card,” he said.
Yau also said in the future, the Government may consider only allowing registered telecommunication company outlets to sell SIM cards, unlike now where any shops could do so.
“But no matter what regulations we put in, scammers will find new ways to circumvent it. So, it’s important for the public to remain vigilant as well,” he said. – Nov 9, 2020
