ALOR STAR: Two men from Kedah are being investigated for cheating after they were arrested on suspicion of acting as account mules for a scam syndicate.
It all started when the duo, both aged 36 from Alor Star handed over their ATM (Automated Teller Machine) cards and banking information to secure an easy online loan from an agent.
It turned out their accounts had been used by the syndicate to pull e-commerce scams involving the sales of a camera and a car via an online trading portal and Facebook respectively.
Police are currently probing the duo under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
"Based on investigations, we have established that these syndicates commonly use four tricks to dupe people into becoming their account mules.
"They pull off the tricks either through a hire-purchase scheme, loan sharking, job offers or an easy online loan scheme," Kedah Commercial Criminal Investigation Department chief Superintendent Elias Omar told the New Straits Times.
Account mules is one of the 14 commercial crime trends used by syndicates to pull off various scams.
As for account mules, Elias said the syndicates would offer a hire-purchase scheme for individual banking accounts.
"They will advertise such schemes through social media, whereby the mule will be asked to open several banking accounts.
"The mule then will either rent out or sell the accounts to the syndicate, purportedly for business transactions or simply for online money laundering activities," he said.
According to Elias, the mule would usually be offered a mere RM100 or up to RM3,000 monthly rental fee for their account.
He added that police also discovered that loan sharks or Ah Longs were also expanding their illegal business by selling their customers' ATM cards and banking information to syndicates.
"Illegal money lenders will ask the borrowers to surrender their ATM cards as a collateral for the loan.
"These loan sharks will then sell the ATM cards to the syndicates, which then use them as a tool in committing crimes," he said.
The third method according to Elias, is through fake job offers.
"The syndicate advertises job vacancies on social media or other platforms and those who fall for the scam will be asked to open banking accounts and provide their ATM cards and banking information purportedly to process their salary," he added.
Elias added that the fourth method used by the syndicates was through easy online loan facilities - the same modus operandi used on two men arrested by the Kota Setar police yesterday.
Following the arrest, Elias reminded the public that banking accounts and ATM cards were the responsibility of the account holder.
"Do not give away your ATM card or banking account to be used by anyone else, if you lose the card, immediately report to the bank to get it blocked," he said.
Elias also reminded the public that account mules could be investigated and risked facing prosecution under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
He also advised the public to regularly check their account statements and alert the bank should they find any suspicious deposits or withdrawals.
Elias urged the public to visit http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule to check on suspicious banking accounts and telephone numbers or contact or WhatsApp the federal police Commercial Crime Investigation Department Infoline at 013-2221222 for any related enquiry regarding commercial crimes.
Yesterday, Kota Setar police chief Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Shukri Mat Akhir said they detained two men in connection with e-commerce cheating cases.
He said the men were being investigated in connection with a scam involving the sale of a camera on the mudah.my portal and a car through Facebook.
Shukri said the men claimed that they had surrendered their ATM cards together with account information to an agent to obtain a loan.
"They couriered the ATM cards to an address to apply for a loan via online and even provided all banking information
including the password for online banking, as part of the requirement set by the agent," he said in a statement.
Shukri said the syndicate then sold the ATM cards and banking account details to other syndicates such as for Macau scams, love scams, bogus investments and non-existence loan facilities as well as online trading scams.
He urged the public to be vigilant as the number of e-commerce scam cases in Kota Setar district had recorded a jump to 105 last year, as compared to 66 in 2020.
Shukri added the total losses reported in e-commerce scams also increased to RM1.3 million in 2021 as compared to over half a million ringgit reported in 2020.