Many Youngsters Willingly Becoming Mule Account Holders for Fraudsters

 VISAKHAPATNAM: Andhra Pradesh cyber police are facing the challenge of more and more youngsters becoming willing mule account holders for online fraudsters. They are mainly becoming partners in crime as the youngsters earn between ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 per transaction. Police have identified tens of thousands of accounts being used to route or receive money linked to illegal investments, digital arrests, and job frauds, among others.

“Only 5 per cent of account holders are innocent. The rest are willingly offering their accounts for small profits,’’ said sub-inspector of Cyber Crime police K. Rambabu, who handles mule accounts.

Visakhapatnam police commissioner Dr. Shankabrata Bagchi said Andhra Pradesh has lost ₹293 crore to cybercrimes during the last one year, whereas the money lost in property offences during the same period is ₹79.5 crore. Around 4,000 mule bank accounts are being identified each day across the country.

Cybercrime police in Vizag city have arrested more than 100 persons, including some youngsters from other states for supplying the mule accounts to cyber crooks in the past one year. In some cases, youngsters opened bank accounts and sold them directly to cybercriminals, bypassing middlemen.

Once caught, those offering their accounts to cyber fraudsters are liable under Section 66D of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008, and Sections 61(2), 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

Though the account holders are not directly involved in committing the cyber fraud, they are charged with conspiring to commit the crime.

Police have cautioned the public against allowing their bank accounts to be used as mule accounts by cybercriminals. Further, they have launched vigorous campaigns to discourage youngsters from falling prey to cyber crooks.

There are 26 video films casting popular stars being exhibited in cinema halls and circulated online for the past one year.