KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 27): Electricity theft tied to crypto-mining has cost Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA) RM5.14 billion to date, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

The national electric utility company has been looking out for cryptocurrency mining activities, including inspecting electricity meters and tracking abnormal surges in power usage, Fadillah, who is also the energy transition and water transformation minister, told the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.

“Where illegal activities are confirmed, authorities will immediately seize the equipment involved,” he said.

Between 2020 and 2025, Tenaga Nasional uncovered 14,489 premises linked to electricity theft for crypto-mining operations. Over the same period, 91 enforcement operations were conducted, resulting in 77 investigation papers being opened.

A further 85 cases have been identified where the premises’ owners were not involved, but their accounts were fraudulently opened by insiders for electricity theft, though they were not required to pay for the stolen power.

Enforcements are carried out jointly with agencies including the Royal Malaysian Police, the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre, the Inland Revenue Board, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, CyberSecurity Malaysia, and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

On its part, Tenaga Nasional has introduced several identity verification measures to curb fraudulent account registrations often linked to illegal mining operations, including the implementation of biometric verification and MyKad authentication.

Tenaga Nasional has also strengthened verification for online applications through the introduction of the electronic Know-Your-Customer (eKYC) system. Under this method, users must scan their identification documents, such as MyKad or passport, to be matched with a selfie.

“The use of eKYC will be expanded progressively this year for all individual applications via the myTNB portal,” Fadillah said. “The system not only helps reduce identity fraud risks but also enhances user confidence, while ensuring compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2010.”

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