Daily Express Subscriber
Sign in to your account.

KOTA KINABALU: Student bank accounts are among those used as mule accounts by scam syndicates, with some account holders paid one-off incentives of up to RM1,000, city police revealed.

City police chief ACP Kasim Muda (pic) said nearly 350 people were arrested last year for allowing their bank accounts to be used to channel illicit funds, with investigations showing that students were among those recruited.

He said those involved are typically offered one-off payments of RM500, RM800 or up to RM1,000 depending on the bank, but can still be charged under Section 424A or 424B of the Penal Code, which carries a minimum fine of RM10,000 or at least one year’s imprisonment upon conviction, adding that several individuals have already been charged in court.

From January to December 2025, the Kota Kinabalu commercial crime division opened 1,347 investigation papers involving total losses of RM119.8 million, of which 959 cases were online scams accounting for RM63.2 million, with investment scams the highest contributor at RM41,730,723.

Between January 1 and 31 this year, police opened 144 investigation papers involving RM10.5 million in losses, including 107 online scam cases amounting to RM9.4 million, while January raids on suspected scam call centres and syndicates resulted in multiple arrests and charges in the Kota Kinabalu court.