Call-centre gangs shift to using corporate accountsListen to this articleThe Anti-Online Scam Centre (ACSC) has uncovered a new operational model used by call-centre gangs, which have shifted from using individual mule accounts to corporate "mule accounts" to defraud victims, evade scrutiny, and launder larger sums of money, police said. These entities, he said, are then used to open bank accounts in the name of juristic persons, which function as mule accounts to receive funds transferred by scam victims. Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop said corporate mule accounts are increasingly favoured by fraud syndicates, particularly in investment scams, because victims tend to view corporate accounts as more credible than personal ones. As it moves to counter the threat, the ACSC has coordinated closely with the DBD to roll out stricter preventive and enforcement measures against nominee arrangements and corporate mule accounts from late last year until early this year. Among the measures: the DBD has issued six new regulatory instruments to tighten company registration and verification procedures.
