THE government successfully recovered about RM34mil in scammed funds from mule bank accounts in 2025, with RM6.7mil having been returned to scam victims, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He said the returned funds had been achieved through the freezing and seizing of RM17.5mil in funds that had been moving through mule bank accounts.
“However, to recover and to return the funds are two different things as investigations into many scam cases are still ongoing,” he said during Minister’s Question Time at Parliament yesterday.
Saifuddin Nasution attributed the significant increase in recovered funds to the expanded operation time of the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC), which now operates round the clock compared to only at office hours previously.
This was further helped by an increase in personnel, with the NSRC now consisting of 25 people from Bukit Aman’s Commercial Crime Division and 16 call agents appointed by Bank Negara.
Saifuddin Nasution said the centre receives about 500 calls a day, of which only about half are genuine.
He added that his ministry has also received over 50 cases of mule bank accounts used in scams, which have been classified under Section 424 of the Penal Code in 2025.
He also revealed that 51 cases have been recorded under Subsection 424A of the Penal Code and of these, 20 have resulted in prosecution.
Saifuddin Nasution said three were classified as needing no further action, seven were classified as kept under record and 21 cases are still under investigation.
“Under 424B, there is one case that is still under investigation, while under 424C, 10 cases have been recorded, all of which are still under investigation,” he said.
