SHAH ALAM: Many students are believed to have unwittingly allowed their banking accounts to be used as mule accounts by scammers says Malaysias top cop.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said they believed these students were also victims of scams themselves.
"Based on my own experience in Perak, many of them do not understand the implications and simply let their bank accounts be used as mule accounts.
"We believe that they also are victims of scams and are not voluntarily giving the accounts to these scammers," he told reporters after attending the passing out parade for the Student's Police Volunteer Reserve Corp at Universiti Teknologi Mara today.
He also advised the trainees who joined the Police Volunteer Corps to become guides and advisors to each of their fellow IPTs and the surrounding community.
"These trainees can act as a bridge between students and the police in order to help us overcome any situation related to account usage issues.
"They may be able to advise others to not share personal banking statements with others," he said.
It was reported that the federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) identified more than 208,000 mule accounts linked to online scams and commercial crime activities in Malaysia.
Speaking at the Media Prima Board of Directors Workshop on Wednesday, CCID director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said approximately 80 per cent of recent police reports pertain to commercial crimes.
Mule accounts are used by scammers and syndicates to facilitate their transactions across a variety of scams.
Ramli pointed out that many of these mule accounts are owned by students, who may be either desperate for money or too trusting of people they meet on social media.
"Students and the elderly are the easiest targets for these syndicates, as they can be easily intimidated."