By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, July 17: An act of kindness turned into a nightmare for a former real estate agent after her bank account was allegedly used as a mule account by an ex-colleague, leaving her facing a cheating case over transactions she claims she had no knowledge of.
The victim, identified only as Mrs. Sim, shared her ordeal during a press conference today, accompanied by Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau chief Milton Foo.
According to Foo, the trouble began in February when an ex-colleague, referred to only as Mr. A, who was then attached to a prominent real estate agency in Kuching, contacted Sim seeking to borrow RM400 for an emergency.
“Sim, out of a kind heart, lent him the RM400 on Feb 5.
“He returned the exact amount before noon on the same day. However, it appears this loan was merely an excuse for Mr. A to obtain her bank account details,” Foo said.
Two months later, on April 23, Sim discovered an unauthorised sum of RM5,000 credited into her CIMB bank account from an unknown company.
Mr. A subsequently contacted her, claiming the money was a rental deposit and requested that she transfer RM4,900 back to him, telling her to keep the remaining RM100 as “coffee money”.
A similar, much larger transaction occurred on May 4, when an unknown individual transferred RM31,000 into her account.
Following Mr. A’s instructions, Sim transferred RM22,200 to him online and personally withdrew RM8,500 from an ATM in MJC Batu Kawa, which she later handed over to him in cash.
He also allowed her to keep RM300 from the transaction.
Believing the transactions had been settled, Sim only realised something was amiss on June 29 when her husband attempted to transfer money into her account but was unable to locate it.
When she visited the bank the following day, she was informed that her account had been frozen following a police report lodged in Bintulu involving the transactions.
Acting on the advice of a police acquaintance, Sim lodged her own police report at the Siburan police station on July 1.
She was subsequently served with a police bail notice requiring her to appear before the Bintulu Magistrate’s Court on July 31.
Foo said Sim is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Meanwhile, Mr. A has allegedly gone off the grid, having deleted his WhatsApp profile and becoming unreachable.
Foo said checks by his office found that the real estate agency had terminated Mr. A’s employment in April, although a public notice announcing his departure was only posted on Facebook on July 2.
He urged the police to conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether Sim’s account had been deliberately used as a mule account or whether she had unknowingly become involved after acting on Mr. A’s instructions.
“I need the police to investigate this matter. Whether her account was used as a mule account by her former colleague, or whether it was genuinely meant for a rental deposit before the money was withdrawn and transferred to him without reaching the intended recipient or landlord, we do not know. That is for the police to investigate,” he said.
Foo explained that a police report lodged in Bintulu involving two separate transactions of RM5,000 and RM31,000 resulted in Sim’s CIMB account being frozen.
“That is why when her husband wanted to transfer money into her account, he could not find the account because it had already become inactive,” he said.
Foo also believed the RM400 loan in February may have been part of a plan to obtain Sim’s bank account details before the subsequent transactions took place.
“From this case, the initial RM400 transaction appears to have been an excuse to gain access to her bank account. He borrowed RM400 and repaid it on the same day, then waited about two months before the first transfer was made,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sim appealed to the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, maintaining that she was an innocent party who had no knowledge of any alleged fraudulent activities.
Echoing her appeal, Foo maintained that his client neither benefited from the RM5,000 and RM31,000 transactions nor knowingly participated in any scam, adding that she merely transferred and handed over the money to Mr. A at his request.
“I urge the police to carry out a full investigation into this matter,” he said.
Foo also reminded the public never to allow others to use their personal bank accounts, regardless of whether they were friends, relatives or colleagues, as they could unknowingly become mule account holders.
He further called on Bank Negara Malaysia and the Ministry of Finance to strengthen public education and establish clearer standard operating procedures (SOPs) to raise awareness of the dangers of bank account misuse and mule account scams. — DayakDaily
