# Detect tampered and deepfake MyKad (Malaysian ID) > The MyKad is Malaysia's compulsory national identity card for citizens aged twelve and above, issued by the National Registration Department since 2001 as a smart card with a chip. Its twelve-digit number begins with the holder's birth date and a place-of-birth code, so an impossible date or an out-of-range code exposes a fabricated number. **Canonical URL:** https://tampercheck.ai/documents-support/malaysia_mykad **API document class:** `malaysia_mykad` **Last updated:** 2026-10-04 --- ## What a genuine MyKad contains The number runs twelve digits: a six-digit birth date in year, month, day order, a two-digit place-of-birth code, and a four-digit tail. Codes from 01 to 16 mark Malaysian states, later ranges cover additional or legacy state codes, and 60 and above mark foreign countries of birth. The card prints name, number, photograph, address, citizenship text, and race, with religion for Muslim holders. The year carries no century, so the printed date of birth settles which century applies. Place-of-birth codes legitimately differ from the address, because people are born in one state and live in another, and pre-2001 cards used a different format. The analysis therefore tests the date and code ranges, the chip pad artwork, and edits to printed fields. ## How MyKad forgeries are made ### Birth-date validity The first six digits must form a real calendar date in year, month, day order. An impossible month or day marks an invented number. ### Place-of-birth code range The two digits after the date must fall in a valid range, covering state, legacy, and foreign-country codes. Values such as 00 fall outside it. ### Printed date alignment The encoded date should agree with the printed date of birth, using the printed year to resolve the century. A mismatch shows the number and print do not belong together. ### Chip pad artwork The smart card carries a chip, so its pad should read as part of the design. A chip drawn as a flat graphic suggests a reprint. ### Photo and data patching Substituted portraits and edited name or address lines leave cut-line edges, resolution steps, and font passes that localise the change. ## What TamperCheck checks on a MyKad TamperCheck runs 200+ forensic checks across three layers and returns a risk score from 0 to 100 with plain-English findings tied to specific regions of the document. These three carry the most weight on this document class. ### Portrait substitution and face-swap analysis The document is isolated from whatever it was photographed on, then the portrait region is assessed against the card surface around it. A pasted or generated face rarely matches the substrate it was placed onto. ### Date and validity consistency Issue, expiry, and period dates are checked against one another and against the file's own creation metadata, which catches backdating and validity extension. ### Reference and document number checks Document, account, and reference numbers are checked for issuer format conformance and against every other place the same value appears on the page. ### And many more checks The three above are the layers that carry the most weight on a MyKad. Every upload runs the full suite of 200+ checks regardless of document class, spanning file structure and metadata, pixel-level forensics, font and text rendering, optical and print characteristics, provenance signals, AI-generation signatures, and many more checks. ## Who verifies a MyKad, and why Malaysian banks, e-wallets, and eKYC platforms. In each case the document is being used to unlock money, access, or a legal status, which is exactly what makes it worth forging. ## How to verify a MyKad in 4 steps 1. **Photograph the document.** Capture the card flat at full resolution so the number, printed fields, and chip area survive close analysis. 2. **Decode the number.** Split the twelve digits into birth date, place-of-birth code, and tail, then confirm the date is a real calendar date and the code is in range. 3. **Compare with the print.** Match the encoded date to the printed date of birth, remembering that the year carries no century, and weigh the address against the story the file tells. 4. **Run a forensic check on the file.** TamperCheck runs 200+ forensic checks including number decoding and patch detection, returning a risk score from 0 to 100 with findings tied to specific regions of the image. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does a MyKad number encode? Twelve digits: a birth date in year, month, day order, a place-of-birth code, and a four-digit tail. The date should match the printed date of birth. ### Why does the number not show the century? The year uses two digits only, so someone born in 1990 and someone born in 2090 would look identical. The printed date of birth resolves it. ### Can the place-of-birth code differ from the address? Yes. Holders may live in a different state from where they were born, and foreign-born citizens carry codes in the foreign-country range. A difference alone is not a flag. ### How does TamperCheck verify a MyKad? TamperCheck decodes the birth date and place-of-birth code, compares them with the printed fields, reviews the chip area, and inspects the portrait and text for patching. Uploads run through a single REST endpoint, are processed ephemerally and not stored, and findings tie to specific regions. ## Related document types - TamperCheck Forensic Report: https://tampercheck.ai/documents-support/forensic_analysis_report - Unknown: https://tampercheck.ai/documents-support/unknown --- Try TamperCheck now: https://tampercheck.ai/dashboard · Docs: https://tampercheck.ai/docs · Pricing: https://tampercheck.ai/pricing