Kuala lumpur: The growing use of Fake Base Transceiver Station (Fake BTS) devices, which can be easily concealed in vehicles or bags, has posed a significant challenge for authorities in combating SMS scam syndicates. Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching explained that the devices' high portability allows syndicates to operate freely, evading detection by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the technology circumvents mobile network security, enabling scammers to send fraudulent SMS messages and malicious links to users within the device's coverage radius. Teo stated that enforcement action relies heavily on public tip-offs and complaints to help identify the syndicates' exact locations due to the devices' mobility, during an oral question-and-answer session in the Dewan Negara.

She was responding to Senator Datuk Dr Mustafa Musa's question on the measures taken by the MCMC to tackle Fake BTS syndicates and the misuse of SIM cards for digital fraud across the country's telecommunications network. Teo mentioned that since September 2024, the MCMC, in collaboration with the police, has carried out a series of operations, including Op Pancing, Op Fake BTS, and Op Delusi, which successfully crippled syndicates in high-density locations such as Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru.

She emphasized that the use or possession of unauthorized communication equipment is an offence under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, carrying a fine of up to RM1 million or imprisonment of up to 10 years. Meanwhile, she announced that a new SIM card registration standard operating procedure will take effect on Feb 27 to prevent line misuse, including higher fines for telcos that fail to comply, aiming to safeguard the country's digital ecosystem.