SRI AMAN: A 21-year-old man was fined RM10,000, in default 10 months imprisonment, by the Magistrates’ Court here on Monday (Jan 26) for acting as a mule account holder for an online scam syndicate.
Evander Libau Matthew Janang from Pantu pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 424C of the Penal Code before Magistrate Intan Nurul Farena Zainal Abidin.
Under the charge, he was accused of being indirectly involved in a transaction involving the receipt of RM1,311 into his personal bank account, which was used by an online fraud syndicate.
The offence was committed at about 2.52pm on April 18, 2025, when the accused received the money from a 29-year-old male victim at a longhouse in Bait Ili, Pantu.
The offence carries a sentence of imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than 10 years, or a fine ranging from RM10,000 to RM150,000, or both.
Based on the facts of the case, the victim was browsing Facebook at a longhouse on April 16, 2025, when he came across an advertisement offering a personal loan from a company claiming to be a licensed moneylender, Eco Target Sdn Bhd.
He subsequently communicated with three individuals via WhatsApp and was instructed to make several payments as part of the loan application process into four different personal bank accounts.
After making the payments and failing to receive the loan, the victim realised he had been cheated and lodged a police report. His total losses amounted to about RM3,749.
Investigations later led to the arrest of Evander, who admitted to having handed over his debit card, bank account number and personal details to a man known as “John” in exchange for RM500 a month.
He said the handover took place by the roadside at Taman Permai, Sibu, at the end of 2023.
The prosecution was conducted by Inspector Nur Farah Ain Hazeline Abdullah while the case was investigated by Sergeant Lim Hock Liong.
Evander was unrepresented by legal counsel.
