Cryptocurrency is not free money. The allure of making millions while the computer does all the work is tantalizing, but it takes a lot of electricity to run crypto-mining servers.
To maximise profit, some crypto miners turned to stealing electricity, and that is exactly what happened in Kuching, Sarawak.
Someone had turned a double-storey semi-detached house that they rented into a crypto mining centre using stolen electricity, reported The Borneo Post.
The illegal cryptocurrency mining centre was discovered by Sarawak Energy Berhad and the police in a joint operation.
14 crypto mining servers and other electronic equipment with an estimated RM36,250 were confiscated in the operation.
Sarawak Energy estimated that the operators of the servers would have had to pay RM2,900 more in electricity bills per month if they hadn’t resorted to stealing.
A police report has been lodged and both the operator and the house owner will be called for further investigations
If found guilty of stealing electricity under Section 33(5) of the Electricity Ordinance, the operator and house owner may face up to RM100,000 in fines and/or five years in jail.
