MalayMail-Nov 18
The police can now bar transactions and seize money from bank accounts suspected to be mule accounts, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said today.
Speaking to the Parliament, Kulasegaran said this is possible after the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code amendments in July came into force on October 30 — allowing the law to prevent the victim’s money from being transferred into another account. “This amendment allows the police to not only seize but also to prevent the property from being used for other transactions with the aim of preventing money from victims of online scams from being withdrawn from mule accounts. “And will further complement the existing provisions, namely Section 435 of Act 593 (Criminal Procedure Code) concerning the police’s power to seize property suspected of being stolen, including fraud, which learns more towards physical property,” the deputy minister said in response to Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng’s (Pakatan Harapan-DAP) question. The National Scam Response Centre said it has received 131,036 complaints from October 2022 to September 2024, and of that total, 52,836 were calls from victims of fraud and scams.
This Bill would cover money transfers, use of ATM facilities as well as all credit facilities. Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/11/18/cops-can-now-freeze-seize-mule-bank-accounts-to-prevent-scam-victims-money-from-being-withdrawn/157236
