MyKad cannot be tampered?

KUALA LUMPUR - The National Registration Department of Malaysia (NRD) insists the microchip embedded in Malaysian identity cards is tamper-proof.

NRD public relations officer Jainisah Noor, however, said lost and stolen MyKad could still be used illegally despite being tampered.

“The microchip stores all personal information and data for an individual. It cannot be tampered with. Doing so will destroy the card completely,” Jainisah said.

“However, people do lose their MyKad and we cannot do anything about it, especially if it is used illegally by foreigners.”

She pointed out many parties still do not verify the details of cardholders by scanning MyKads.

“It all boils down to the employer, who should be thorough.

They should check with NRD and validate their employees’ identification,” she said in response to security guards using fake identification cards to obtain jobs.

“Once scanned, the microchip will reveal everything needed to confirm that the holder is valid and registered under NRD.”

She urged the public to be more careful with their identity cards and to immediately lodge a report if their MyKad is lost or stolen.