PETALING JAYA: Several mobile phone shops insist on registering SIM cards on the spot, while convenience stores and certain retailers allow buyers the option to purchase SIM cards with or without registration.
A worker from a convenience store, when approached by a reporter from The Star and asked if he could assist with SIM card registration, said he could not.
“Customers are allowed to register the SIM card themselves. They only need to buy the phone number, we do not help with registration,” the worker said.
“However, the SIM card will not be activated if it is not registered with a MyKad.”
This same scenario occurred with a few other convenience stores.
At a mobile phone shop run by a foreigner at the time of the visit, with no Malaysian supervisor present, a seller said SIM cards could be sold without the need for a MyKad.
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“Customers can buy phone numbers without showing their MyKad,” the seller said. “They can buy the phone number and register the number separately.”
However, there are shops with Malaysian sellers who are strict on their customers having a MyKad to buy and register a SIM card.
A mobile phone and SIM card operator said locals are required to show their MyKad to buy and register a SIM card, while foreigners must present a passport.
“If they do not have these documents, they usually buy a SIM card under another person’s name who has a MyKad.
“For our shop, it is important that customers show their MyKad before we sell and register the SIM card,” she said, adding that they don’t sell it to them if they don’t present their MyKad.
Another mobile phone shop operator said registration is compulsory if the SIM card is bought at their premises.
“If customers buy a SIM card from our shop, we have to register it for them,” the seller said.
In an online shopping review by The Star, a buyer claimed a SIM card purchased online was already pre-registered and alleged that the registration was linked to a foreign individual.
This highlights the continued circulation of illegally pre-registered SIM cards in the market.
Meanwhile, data protection expert Deepak Pillai said that individuals or syndicates involved in selling or using pre-registered SIM cards illegally may be charged under Section 232 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for fraudulent use of network services.
“If convicted, offenders may face a fine of up to RM1mil, imprisonment of up to 10 years, or both,” he said when contacted.
“SIM card-related fraud may also fall under offences in the Penal Code.”
He added that Malaysian law does not distinguish between street-level sellers, middlemen or syndicate leaders.
“Anyone who knowingly participates in, assists, conspires, or facilitates a SIM-card related offence may be held criminally liable, regardless of their role.
“Individuals whose identity cards are misused for SIM card registration are generally considered victims and would not face consequences if the misuse occurs without their consent,” added Deepak.
