SIBU: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) has not received any reports of ‘scratch-and-win’ cases in the state so far this year.
Md Nawawi Abdul Rahman
Its Sarawak deputy director Md Nawawi Abdul Rahman said the ministry has regularly included the topic of scratch-and-win games in its consumerism talks and briefings to educate consumers against being fleeced by unscrupulous traders.
“So far this year, there has yet to be any case related to scratch-and-win games in the state. We acted on two such cases in 2014,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
He added the two cases in 2014 occurred in shopping malls and resulted in the seizure of electrical items worth over RM57,000.
Under Section 20 of the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 pertaining to such scratch-and-win cases, first-time individual offenders can be fined up to RM250,000 or jailed up to three years, or both if found guilty. Subsequent offences carry a fine up to RM500,000 and up to five years’ jail, or both.
As for organisations, the penalty is a fine up to RM500,000 for the first offense and a fine up to RM1 million for subsequent offences.