Teen on good behaviour bond for loan scam

KUCHING: A teenage girl has been ordered to be on good behaviour bond for one year by the Magistrate’s Court here, after admitting guilt for unlawfully possessing RM7,860 in her personal account.

Magistrate Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali issued the order following the social report hearing of the 19-year-old accused from Kuala Lumpur.

According to the charges, she was prosecuted under Section 37(1) of the Minor Offences Ordinance Sarawak 1958 for the unauthorised possession of funds amounting to RM7,860 in her personal account.

She committed the offence at a local bank here on August 8, 2023.

Based on the case facts, a 23-year-old male complainant was enticed by a loan advertisement on the Ringgit Plus website, where he provided personal information.

Subsequently, the complainant received a message on WhatsApp from a man named Jard, claiming to be from a bank, offering a loan of RM30,000.

The complainant was instructed to provide copies of identification, work permit, bank statements, and salary slips for loan processing, and the man claimed the loan was approved.

However, before receiving the loan, the complainant was directed to make payments to three different personal accounts, including the accused’s account.

The complainant made payments to all three accounts, including the accused’s, but did not receive any loan funds.

The complainant filed a police report, leading to the arrest of the accused.

It is understood that the accused rented out her personal account to someone for the purpose of gaining proceeds from the rental.

Prosecution in the case was handled by Inspector Ammarsoffi Yusoff, while the accused was not represented by a legal counsel.