NRD: Keeping Someone Else’s MyKad Without A Warrant Is Illegal (Yes, That Includes Security Guards)

By Lara Kramer  •  23 Dec 2022 in News

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Most Malaysians probably don’t think twice before whipping out their MyKad to security personnel especially when accessing a private area, but according to The National Registration Department (NRD), this act is in fact an offense under the National Registration Regulations 1990.

This is done to avoid the potential of someone else fabricating data from MyKads and use it to perpetrate further crimes. Only officers qualified under Regulation 25 of the National Registration Regulations of 1990 are permitted to hold and examine MyKads, as per NRD Director-General Datuk Ruslin Jusoh.

He asserted that security personnel or building management cannot arbitrarily request visitors to surrender their MyKads.

“They can inform the NRD if a security guard from a residential building or another unauthorised person tries to hold or inspect someone else’s MyKad. We want to make it clear that only officers or authorities, such the police, the Road Transport Department, the Customs Department, and the Immigration Department are permitted to hold onto another person’s MyKad,” he confirmed.

Ruslin also claimed that the NRD is worried about the escalating document fraud, particularly given the large number of foreign nationals attempting to obtain citizenship in Malaysia unlawfully.

According to him, the NRD made 491 arrests through a range of operations between 2020 and last November.

He claimed that 289 entailed a variety of MyKad-related offences, such as the use of fraudulent identification cards, the use of another person’s identity cards, or the possession of multiple identity cards.

In addition, the NRD discovered that the head of a MyKad counterfeiting network was made up of local and international nationals who were thought to travel in small groups and frequently switch locations.

“Despite the small number, we take the falsification of private documents seriously and are strongly devoted to rooting it out. We recently learned that some parties are employing a modus operandi to advertise the sale of MyKad, myPR, and other identification documents on Facebook and WhatsApp. As a result, many people were duped and lost RM6,000,” he stated.

Ruslin also added that NRD never provides services through agents or social media. In actuality, everything needs to be done at the JPN counter or office.