MIRI, April 28: The public has been urged to notify the authorities immediately if they suspect any illegal activities being conducted, such as electricity theft which may tie into large scale cryptocurrency mining operations.
Department of Malaysia (Bomba) Zone 6 Miri chief senior Superintendent II Ahmad Nizam Sapaiee reminded home and building owners to be aware of tenants’ activities.
“If you suspect any illegal activity, such as electricity theft, you must immediately report it to the authorities.
“If there is an illegal connection or a fire hazard in the building, please email your complaint to the JBPM Zone 6 Sarawak at zon_miri@bomba.gov.my or call Sarawak Energy customer service at 1300-88-3111 or email customercare@sarawakenergy.com,” he said at a press conference in Miri on Wednesday.
As per Ahmad Nizam, JBPM is concerned about the recent trend of building fires involving the source of excess electricity supply.
He went on to say that the findings of the authorities’ investigation and those of Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) suggested that the equipment was used for cryptocurrency mining activities in the building.
“According to JBPM Zone 6 Miri fire statistics, there were four cases of fires involving illegal electricity connections for cryptocurrency mining activities in the first four months of this year.
“In 2020, there was only one fire case involving this matter, which increased to six cases in 2021 and four cases in the first four months of this year.
“We are concerned that similar incidents will become more common. As a result, we will enforce the relevant laws in collaboration with SEB and other authorities to address this issue,” Ahmad Nizam continued.
SEB previously stated in a media statement that it suffered a loss of RM43 million between 2018 and 2022 as a result of illegal electricity connections for cryptocurrency mining activities. — DayakDaily
