KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — The Ministry of Finance has warned of a RM20,000 fine and three years’ jail for anyone caught misusing another person’s MyKad to claim BUDI MADANI RON95 (BUDI95) fuel subsidies, following a spike in identity theft reports at petrol stations.

In a statement today, the MoF asserted that using or possessing another individual’s MyKad without lawful authority is a serious offence under Regulation 25 of the National Registration Regulations 1990.

The warning follows a recent high-profile case in Kedah. On May 20, a man pleaded not guilty at the Alor Setar Sessions Court to charges of using other individuals' MyKad numbers to purchase subsidised petrol.

The incident highlighted vulnerabilities in the manual entry of MyKad data at the pump, prompting the ministry’s latest crackdown.

The MoF said it has also directed all oil retail companies to immediately tighten compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) for MyKad verification.

“Any transaction carried out manually without prior physical MyKad verification is not permitted, as it creates room for unauthorised transactions, subsidy abuse, and violations of the programme's integrity,” the ministry said.

Oil companies have been ordered to investigate stations identified as violating these SOPs and to take appropriate disciplinary action.

Corrective measures, including the retraining of frontline staff and the prominent display of SOPs at payment counters, have also been mandated.

Recourse for affected citizens

BUDI95 recipients are encouraged to monitor their transaction records via the official portal.

If an unauthorised transaction is discovered, the ministry said victims should immediately file a police report.

Affected MyKad holders have 30 days from the date of the incident to lodge a formal complaint with the BUDI MADANI Contact Centre (BMCC).

Complainants must provide a police report detailing the date, time, and specific petrol station involved; a copy of their MyKad; and the list of disputed transactions mentioned in the police report.

The BMCC operates 24 hours a day and can be reached via hotline at 1300-88-9595, WhatsApp at +603-2631 4595, or email at [email protected].

The MoF urged the rakyat to remain vigilant and refrain from sharing MyKad information with third parties for subsidy purposes, adding that it will continue to monitor transaction patterns nationwide and will not compromise on any non-compliance or targeted subsidy abuse.