Final-year student falls for RM100-a-day ‘accounting job’ that turned her bank account into a mule account

KUCHING, Oct 4 — A 22-year-old final-year business student fell victim to a mule account scheme after discovering a job offer on Facebook, according to Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau chief Milton Foo. The student was approached by an individual via WhatsApp, who promised a part-time online accounting job with a daily payment of RM100.

Foo explained that the task involved receiving money from various individuals through her bank account. On Sept 22 and 23, RM12,246 was deposited into her bank account from five individuals, followed by a transfer to two other accounts. Next, RM20,117 was deposited into her e-wallet account from eight individuals, which was then moved to six different accounts as instructed.

However, the student did not receive the promised payment, and the suspect eventually vanished, becoming uncontactable. Upon noticing her bank account was frozen, the student learned she had been used as a mule account. Police checks on the Semak Mule portal revealed three reported incidents in Sentul, Sri Petaling, and Kelana Jaya.

The student lodged a police report on Sept 29, after which Foo emphasized the importance of caution for university students and fresh graduates against deceptive job offers found on social media. Foo stressed that job offers requesting the use of personal bank accounts to receive and transfer money were major red flags.