Woman fined RM10,000 for being a mule for nonexistent job syndicate

A 25-year-old woman has been fined RM1,000 by the Sessions Court in Johor Bahru after admitting to being a "mule" for a scam syndicate offering nonexistent jobs. Kamiliaelina Kamaruzaman pleaded guilty to dishonestly helping to transfer RM1,000 into her Touch 'n Go account, an act that occurred in January 2025.

The court, presided over by Judge Datuk Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim, also imposed a one-month jail sentence if the fine was not settled. Kamaruzaman, who is unemployed, paid the fine. The charge was framed under Section 424 of the Penal Code, which pertains to dishonest misappropriation of property and carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine, or both upon conviction.

According to the case facts, the victim saw a work-from-home advertisement on Facebook on January 28, 2025. This led to contact with individuals via Telegram, operating under the names Horizon Media and Handmade MY. The victim was instructed to complete a hotel assessment task with an initial capital of RM1,000, with a promised return of RM1,400. Subsequently, the victim transferred RM1,000 to Kamaruzaman's Touch 'n Go account and was then asked to make further payments totaling RM4,800 to other individuals for subsequent tasks.

Suspicion arose when the victim was asked to pay an additional RM13,800 to retrieve the initial capital and promised profits. At this point, the victim ceased payments, having lost RM5,800 of her savings. She then proceeded to file a police report, leading to the current proceedings against Kamaruzaman.