Illegal Crypto Miners in Malaysia Stole $723M Worth of Electricity Since 2018
Illegal crypto mining operators in Malaysia have stolen $723 million worth of electricity between 2018 and 2023.
Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, revealed this during an event where approximately $467,000 worth of seized items, including Bitcoin mining machines and electrical equipment, were destroyed.
Nasir emphasized that these illicit mining operations not only harm Malaysia’s state-controlled power operator but also impact local communities in affected areas.
Those engaging in electricity theft typically evade registration with the appropriate authorities and resort to circumventing electricity meters or diverting power from existing lines.
“The theft of electricity by those who mine cryptocurrency occurs because they believe this activity cannot be detected due to the absence of meters on their premises.”
However, energy supply companies can use various methods to identify abnormal energy consumption in an area, allowing Malaysian officials to seize over 2,000 items during an operation in October 2022.
Kerajaan heboh nak laksanakan agenda peralihan tenaga sebab nak tambah sumber tenaga yang baru.
Tapi dalam masa yang sama kecurian elektrik sampai ratusan juta, ada tahun mencecah berbilion ringgit setahun berlaku di negara kita.
Ironi sungguh. pic.twitter.com/ZkWz7eIWrn
— Akmal Nasir (@akmalnasir) July 10, 2024
While mining cryptocurrency itself is not illegal in Malaysia, the act of stealing electricity for mining purposes is deemed unlawful, as clarified by Malaysia’s Universiti Teknologi MARA in December 2022.
The Malaysian authorities have been cracking down on cryptocurrency miners since at least August 2019, with Nasir emphasizing that these procedures
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