KUALA LUMPUR: Laws will be amended to tackle online scams which have resulted in Malaysians losing over RM350mil in just six months this year, says Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Mohamed.
The Deputy Home Minister said the proposed amendments will allow authorities to freeze the bank accounts of scammers and punish “account mules” who allow their bank accounts to be used by the scammers.
“We need to amend Section 116B of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) to allow the investigating officer to freeze the bank accounts of those suspected of being involved in online scams.
“This includes Section 424 of the Penal Code to punish account mules who allow scammers to use their bank accounts,” the Deputy Home Minister said when answering a question raised by Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH-Kuala Lumpur) in Dewan Rakyat on Thursday. (July 28).
Dr Zulkefly asked if steps were being taken to address rampant online scams, including data breaches resulting in such crimes.
Section 116B of the CPC relates to the powers of an investigating officer to gain access to computerised data, whether stored in a computer or otherwise.
Section 424 of the Penal Code relates to an individual dishonestly or fraudulently assisting in the releases of any demand or claim.
Earlier, Datuk Seri Azizah Mohd Dun (PN-Beaufort) lamented that Malaysians lost some RM5.2bil between 2020 and May this year to scammers, who have now…
