RANAU: A 22-year-old woman was fined RM80, or jailed three days, after RM4,321 linked to an alleged fraudulent online loan scheme was found in her Agrobank account.
Angeleah Avila Zeno pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 22A(1) of the Minor Offences Ordinance (Sabah Cap. 80).
The court was told that the RM4,321 belonged to Mohd Fairuz Ariff bin Saimin Ariff, who had allegedly been deceived through an online loan offer.
According to the case facts, Fairuz was contacted via WhatsApp on June 15, 2026, after viewing a loan advertisement on Facebook. The individual introduced himself as Mohd Safuan Mohd Firdaus and allegedly offered him a personal loan.
Fairuz was asked to provide personal documents, including his identity card, bank statement, Employees Provident Fund (EPF) statement and bank account details.
He was later told that his loan had been approved and instructed to make several payments totalling RM4,321 into Angeleah’s Agrobank account.
After making the payments, Fairuz was allegedly asked to pay another RM6,250 before the loan could be released.
He subsequently realised he had been deceived and lodged a police report.
Police investigations identified Angeleah as the owner of the account into which the money had been transferred.
She was later arrested by police from the Sabah contingent headquarters. The case was initially investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
During questioning, Angeleah reportedly claimed she was unaware that the money had entered her account. She also admitted handing over her bank account and ATM card to an unidentified individual for an online money-lending purpose.
However, she had not lodged a police report after handing over her banking details and ATM card.
She was subsequently charged under Section 22A(1) of the Minor Offences Ordinance for failing to provide a reasonable explanation for the money found in her possession.
The offence carries a maximum fine of RM100, or imprisonment for up to three months, or both.
The case serves as a reminder of the risks of allowing others to use personal bank accounts or ATM cards, particularly in connection with online loan offers.
Members of the public are advised to be cautious when responding to loan offers through social media or messaging applications and never hand over their banking facilities to unknown individuals.
