August 8, 2011

Page 1

Monday 8 august, 2011

PP423/01/2012(029578)

BeingFrank

With Frankie D’Cruz Damansara Utama church raid

I sense soulless trouble rousers seem fearful there actually exists togetherness in our nation and that’s alarming >> pg5 local

100,000 copies daily

The Malay Mail

FREE

@malaymail

40 sen for delivery per copy

http://www.mmail.com.my

RM5,000 for fake MyKad

PETALING JAYA

Bring back ‘English’ schools Lobbyists urging resurrection of national schools in this medium to achieve Vision 2020

>> pg4

Man sets fire to own car

... but destroys two other vehicles as well in botched suicide attempt

>> pg3

Joint action City Hall, residents tear down illegal ads in Tmn Wilayah

>> pg8

sports

‘Not true’ Man City boss Roberto Mancini denies trying to bring Wesley Sneijder to the Eastlands

>> pg30

... and passports which are available for home delivery, say websites

FOR less than RM5,000, you can get a fake MyKad or Malaysian passport delivered to your doorstep. This is the claim made by several websites allegedly being run by syndicates dealing with bogus identification. The Malay Mail discovered the websites following our recent expose on a land grab case in Shah Alam, which prompted us to probe further on how fraudulent identity cards can be issued. Whether or not the online deal is a scam is unknown, but our attempts to secure a bogus MyKad from the websites revealed the syndicate is able to make one and send it over “just two to four days after receiving payment”. However, upon presenting our findings, the Home Ministry immediately rubbished claims that an official Malaysian identity card can be forged. Its secretary-general Tan Sri Mahmood Adam insisted it was “impossible” for security features embedded in both MyKad and the Malaysian passport to be copied. Meanwhile, from the website www. fakepassportsale.cc, one can apparently obtain a Malaysian passport for 500 (RM2,149) each while a “package” of a passport and a MyKad is tagged at 650 (RM 2,794). This syndicate caters for passports and identity cards of other countries as well, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, South Africa, Spain, UK and the United States. Malaysia, surprisingly, is the only Asian country on the list. The syndicate also claimed they were able to “register passports in official government department database” for certain countries. Posing as a potential client, this

By HARESH DEOL haresh@mmail.com.my writer first sent an email to the operators of the website, asking how one could go about obtaining a fake Malaysian identification. The response was prompt and we were immediately emailed a list of details to comply with before proceeding with the “order”. Among the demands included were to furnish them with the personal information that would be printed on the documents, and paying 25 per cent of the total cost up front. The documents would then be processed and produced within two to four days. The email further added: “We send you scan/photos of your ready-made

documents. You check all the details and give us confirmation. “You send us the rest of the full amount and your delivery address. You will receive your documents in several days via UPS, FedEx, DHL (free of charge for you).” We then sent another email requesting samples of processed documents. We received 10 pictures of fake Malaysian passports and MyKad, apparently belonging to another client. It is believed that this international syndicate has links in various countries, including Malaysia, for them to locally deliver the documents to their clients without the need to cross borders. The syndicate is also allegedly able to “produce any car documents including car titles, insurance and registration certificates” — a new service

they started offering since March 23. As for the website www.passports. cz.cc, the syndicate running it apparently forges Malaysian passports for US$800 (RM2,408) each. They also produce “birth certificates and university diplomas” – a service they introduced from April 11. Before the Home Ministry, the National Registration Department (NRD) had, on July 29, also dismissed the claim that a MyKad can be faked for criminal use. In our July 29 report “MyKad tamper-proof, says NRD”, we quoted the department’s director-general Datin Jariah Mohd Said as saying there was no truth that MyKad microchips contain important data, including biometrics, could be cloned. • Continued on pg2

Roadside delight These men are enjoying a hot, healthy repast at Kotaraya, courtesy of the Food For Life Society’s Kuala Lumpur chapter that has been throwing a lifeline to the needy in the city and Petaling Jaya with 2,000 weekly free meals for the past five years. And the queue is growing by word of mouth from recipients who welcome the tasty vegetarian dishes that come their way. — Pic: Samsul Said

>> Stories on pg7


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.