Paid a Commission to Move Money?

How Commission-Based Money Transfer Works

The offer can sound simple. Receive money into your bank account, send it on to another account, and keep a share as your commission. ^[f5] The share can be 3% to 10% of the amount, and it is sold to you as easy side income.

You may have been approached on social media, in a chat group, or by someone you know. The first few transfers go smoothly: the money arrives, you send it on, you keep your cut. Nothing seems wrong until your account is suddenly frozen.

Behind the scenes, the money belonged to scam victims or was linked to other crime. Police detected 46,048 mule accounts in 2023 and 50,295 in 2024. ^[f3] When police trace the money, your account shows up in the chain, and the commission becomes a central part of the case.

Why the Commission Matters Legally

Under Penal Code section 424C, carrying out transactions through a bank account without a lawful purpose carries 3 to 10 years in jail or a fine of RM10,000 to RM150,000, or both. ^[f1] It is the most serious of the three mule account offences.

The commission changes one thing in the prosecution’s case. ^[f2] Prosecutors can argue that being paid to move money shows you understood what the arrangement was. Payment is treated as indirect evidence that you knew something was wrong.

That does not make a conviction automatic. But the prosecution starts from a stronger place than with someone who moved money and gained nothing.

What You Knew Still Matters

Even with a commission, what you knew is part of the knowledge element of your defence. ^[f4] The question is whether you knew, or had reason to believe, the transfers through your account were linked to crime.

Here the details of your case matter:

• Was it presented as a real business?
• Were you given a believable reason why the money had to pass through your account?
• Did the recruiter use a company name, send documents, or make it look lawful in other ways?

Your lawyer will look at these details to judge where you stand on knowledge. The aim is to show that, although you took the commission, you did not actually know the money came from crime.

Why This Case Is Harder to Defend

A commission makes the defence harder than when someone moved money for nothing. There are three reasons.

First, prosecutors may say the commission itself was a warning sign. Second, receiving money, passing it on and keeping a cut matches the pattern of money laundering. Third, if you carried on after you had doubts, each later transfer is harder to explain.

Harder does not mean hopeless. Some people truly did not understand what they were part of.

The recruiter may have given convincing reasons, or you may have needed the money too badly to ask questions. These points count in your defence.

How a Lawyer Builds Your Defence

A lawyer who handles mule account cases will look at how you were recruited and what you understood at each stage.

How you were recruited. How was the offer put to you, and what reason were you given? Save every message, advert and chat that shows how it was presented. This can show the deception around the commission.

When you started to doubt. If you stopped as soon as you had doubts, that can show good faith. If you carried on, your lawyer needs to know why and what you knew at each point.

Your money situation at the time. It is not a defence on its own, but it helps a court see why you agreed. Money pressure, losing a job or study debts give context.

Working with the authorities. Helping the investigation through your lawyer, naming the recruiter and telling the full story can show you were not a willing part of a crime group. This may count at every stage, from investigation to sentencing.

Immediate Steps to Take

If your account was frozen after you took a commission to move money, act now.

Stop all transfers. Do not make any more transfers, do not follow the recruiter’s instructions, and do not use any account linked to the arrangement. Carrying on after a freeze does real harm to your case.

Keep all evidence. Save every message and take screenshots of every chat. Keep the job offer, payment receipts, the recruiter’s contact details and any reasons you were given. Do not delete anything.

Do not talk to the recruiter about the case. Any contact could look like an attempt to agree on a story or hide evidence. Cut contact completely.

Try to get legal advice before you speak to the police. If police call you to give a statement, go when asked, and speak to a lawyer first. If you are arrested, you have a right to consult a lawyer. Your first statement can shape the investigation.

Find out where you stand. A lawyer can review the facts, explain what section 424C means for you, and start preparing your defence. Getting advice early helps keep your options open.

Why Waiting Hurts Your Case

While you wait, the investigation moves on without your side of the story. Proof of how you were recruited can disappear, the recruiter may delete accounts, and your memory of what was said fades.

A lawyer who acts early can speak to the investigating officer and show your cooperation. They can explain the commission while making clear you were deceived.

Sources

1. Low & Partners, “Keldai Accounts: When Helping a Friend Becomes a Criminal Offence” (2024)
2. Penal Code (Amendment) Act 2024, Sections 424A, 424B, 424C
3. PDRM Semak Mule Platform Statistics (2024)
4. New Straits Times, “Semak Mule Flags 190,000 Accounts” (2024)