Its Security Design and Security Printing Unit head Razlan Abdullah said the MySijil app was developed to scan certificates or security documents produced by PNMB to verify their authenticity.

“The app is currently being used by 17 higher education institutions including International Islamic University Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, and Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur.

“It is also being used by Kolej Universiti Poly-Tech Mara Kuala Lumpur, and the Technical University of Malaysia,” he said in a recent interview.

He noted that low-security features in certificates, diplomas and degrees awarded by higher learning institutions in the country have apparently allowed fake degree scams to proliferate.

Razlan said certificates and other documents printed by PNMB contained additional features such as security paper, special security designs, ink, secret codes, serial numbers and hidden watermarks, which further enhanced the reliability of the documents.

On the increasing use of smartcards in the digital era, Razlan said multiple methods of authentication are vital to curtail fraud and identity theft.

“We… have all our personal information in just one card and should not have to worry about it being duplicated or used for fraudulent purposes. Thus, the security features of a smartcard are very important,” he said.

Razlan noted that PNMB’s smartcard production facility has state-of-the-art production including card and inlay manufacture, chip embedding, printing and card personalisation and can produce up to 12 million smartcards a year.

PNMB, which is Chief Government Security Office (CGSO), Europay Mastercard Visa (EMV), Payment Card Industry (PCI) and ISO 14298 (Integraf) certified, partners with major international chipmakers and Cybersecurity Malaysia for the use of chips and operating systems with the highest levels of security, he said.

According to thestar.com.my