A new tactic to steal subsidized RON95 fuel: disguising your Singapore license plate with tape.
A brazen attempt to steal subsidized fuel has gone viral in Malaysia, after a driver of a Singapore-registered Volkswagen Jetta was caught using black tape to disguise his license plate at a petrol station in Kulai, Johor.
The incident, which took place in just as the new year rolled around, highlights a new creative tactic used by foreign motorists to bypass Malaysian law and access RON95 petrol, which is reserved exclusively for Malaysian-registered vehicles. Yes, whether or not they’re accessing BUDI95 priced fuel, it’s still illegal for Singapore-registered vehicles to fill up with RON95, which is already subsidized to some degree by default. Foreigners are required to purchase the unsubsidized RON97 fuel. The driver attempted to pay the subsidized rate (approximately RM2.56/litre) instead of the floating market rate for RON97, which is significantly higher.
The “Tape Tactic”: Masquerading as a Malaysian
According to viral reports, the driver of the silver Volkswagen Jetta used black tape to cover specific characters on his Singapore license plate. The driver taped over the first letter (“S”) and the last letter (“M”) of the registration plate. Hiding the “S”, the remaining characters would make the Jetta come across as a Labuan (starts with “L”) or Sabah registration plate from a distance.
The driver was confronted by a motorist in a video that has since gone viral. During the confrontation, the driver reportedly claimed to be Malaysian, though he has since been identified as a Singapore Permanent Resident (PR). There was also a woman at the scene who tried to back up the driver.
Malaysian authorities, including the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) and the police, have taken swift action:
- Driver Summoned: The owner has been summoned for investigation under Section 108(3)(e) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for exhibiting a tampered registration number.
- Station Liability: The petrol station in Kulai may also face enforcement action for failing to prevent the sale of subsidized fuel to a foreign-registered vehicle.
It’s so strange that those who can afford a car and the 6-figure COE in Singapore have to act poor and break the law this way. If you grew up in Johor Bahru like I did, the sight of a Singapore-registered vehicle filling-up at your local petrol station was not an uncommon one. Even after it became illegal for these vehicles to fuel up with RON95 in 2010, it was still some time before enforcement became commonplace. You also have to remember that these same vehicles are also not allowed to leave Singapore without their fuel tanks filled to at least 3/4 capacity and that has been a rule on the island since 1991.
