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KUALA LUMPUR: Fifteen fines amounting to RM750,000 were issued on December 4 to five telecommunications companies for registering prepaid SIM cards without validating the applicants’ information.
The action was taken based on an audit conducted by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu between August and October last year.
Seventy such fines have been issued so far this year, amounting to RM 3.45 million.
The number is 16% higher than the 58 notices made up of RM2.9 million issued in 2019 for the same crime.
According to MCMC, registering a prepaid SIM card without verifying user information is a crime under Section 127 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. This can result in a fine not exceeding RM 100,000 or a prison sentence of up to two years or both conviction.
At the top of the list with the highest number of compound fines is Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, which received five compound fines worth RM 250,000, followed by Maxis Broadband Sdn Bhd with four compound fines of RM 200,000.
Three fines consisting of RM 150,000 were issued to U Mobile Sdn Bhd.
Tune Talk Sdn Bhd and YTL Communications Sdn Bhd received two fines consisting of RM100,000 and RM50,000 respectively.
In the statement, MCMC said the efforts showed that the commission is strict in protecting the interests of consumers, especially in light of the escalating number of fraud and scam cases in the country.
