Stolen Malaysian mobile phones to be disabled in new move

All stolen or missing handphones will be deactivated and can no longer be used even with new SIM cards by December.

This is when the mobile phone service operators introduce a new service to curb mobile phone theft, which has escalated to an alarming level. Last year alone, statistics showed that some 100,000 handphones were reported lost but the authorities said the real figure could be much higher.

“When the service starts, all stolen or missing handsets will be deactivated and be blocked nationwide. It will subsequently be extended regionally. This means that all missing or stolen handphones can no longer be used, even with new SIM cards,” a source in the telecommunications industry told The Star.