Fadillah, who is also energy transition and water transformation minister, said that from 2020 to 2025, a total of 91 special operations were carried out, during which 14,489 premises were inspected and 77 investigation papers were opened.
He said 85 cases involved premises found to be victims of electricity theft. Investigations confirmed that the owners were not involved in the offences, and they were neither prosecuted nor required to pay charges.
“Therefore, the measure we want to take is to enhance awareness, particularly among property owners, whether for residential or business premises. If they rent out their properties, they must ensure that their names are not used to apply for the connection of electricity.
“Ensure that the applications are made under the tenants’ names so that (owners) do not end up as victims of irresponsible electricity use,” he said in reply to a supplementary question from Lim Lip Eng (PH-Kepong) on TNB’s total losses due to electricity theft, especially involving cryptocurrency mining syndicates, during the ministerial question time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
To curb electricity theft and prevent more people from becoming victims of identity fraud, Fadillah said TNB had implemented an identity verification system using fingerprints and MyKad, with data verified directly through TNB’s biometric devices.
He said the system was secure, complied with industry standards and was already widely used in the public sector, as well as in banking and telecommunications.
“Under the digital identity verification process (eKYC), users must scan their identification document (MyKad or passport) and match it with a selfie for facial verification.
“eKYC will be gradually expanded from this year to cover all individual applications submitted via the myTNB portal. This will not only help reduce identity fraud but also strengthen user confidence and ensure adherence to the Personal Data Protection Act 2010,” he said.
Fadillah said the system had contributed to a decline in cases involving forged identity documents, with only three cases reported last year.
“Looking at the records of forged identity documents, we received 92 complaints in 2021, which dropped to 49 in 2022. In 2023, when the biometric system was introduced, the number of cases fell to 26, and in 2024, only three cases were recorded, all related to online applications,” he said.
The system is currently being piloted in Kuala Lumpur and will be expanded nationwide.
Fadillah said the government also plans to extend the use of the same system to online transactions more broadly.