Illegal crypto miners in Malaysia have stolen electricity worth RM3.4 billion since 2018

Odaily News According to Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, Deputy Minister of Energy Transformation and Water Transformation of Malaysia, illegal cryptocurrency mining activities have caused the country's power company Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to lose a total of about 3.4 billion ringgit (about 777 million US dollars) in electricity resources since 2018. These illegal miners steal electricity by bypassing electricity meters and privately connecting cables to support the operation of high-power mining equipment.
To combat such activities, Malaysian authorities have stepped up law enforcement. In August 2024, Perak police used a steamroller to destroy 985 illegal Bitcoin mining equipment worth about 1.98 million ringgit (about $450,000) in Perak Tengah. Previously, the police also arrested seven people suspected of stealing electricity for mining in Sepang, and seized 52 mining machines and other electronic equipment worth about 250,000 ringgit. (CoinDesk)